Just One Chance
by BluEyes1120
Summary: *This is my first story. Please review! It's much appreciated!* Trish and Natalya are best friends. John has a thing for Trish, AJ has a thing for John. Natalya wants her to give him a chance, but she's scared to get hurt and she's not sure she wants to deal with the 'AJ thing.' But if AJ has her way, Trish won't have to worry about that because John will be hers.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! I've been lurking around here for a while now reading a ton of work. This is my first attempt at writing a story of my own. Thanks for reading!**

**Trish is an OC _NOT _the wrestler Trish Stratus. OC/John Cena, Natalya/Tyson Kidd, Miz/Kaitlyn, Randy Orton, AJ, and others.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"I just don't understand why you won't give him a chance. He's a really good guy, and he's totally into you," Natalya said, frowning as she unlaced her wrestling boots.

"I'm sure he is a really good guy…" Trish trailed off. "I just… I just don't want to deal with the drama. "

"What drama?" Natalya asked.

Trish rolled her eyes. "You know what drama I'm talking about."

"If I knew what you were talking about, why would I be asking you? Duh," Natalya asked sarcastically.

"AJ," Trish answered as her lips twisted into a frown.

"What about AJ? She's got nothing to do with this," Natalya said, with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"AJ has everything to do with it, Natty. Quit acting like you don't know what I'm talking about. AJ has tried to tell anyone who will listen that her John are together. She's made special effort to make sure I knew about it."

"But John told you…"

Trish cut her off, "John told me it was just an angle and she took it too far. She caught feelings for him and thought something was there that wasn't... I know."

"_Okay?_… So I don't see what that problem is. John told you what the truth was. What are you running from?" Natalya was becoming annoyed with the conversation.

"I'm not _running_ from anything," Trish answered, her tone becoming defensive.

Natalya's voice softened, "Trish, I'm telling you, they were never together. It was just an angle. AJ wanted there to be something more, but John didn't want that. She took the fact that they were in a 'romantic angle' and ran with it. Maybe in her crazy little mind, they were together. But out here, in the real world, they're not, and they never were. I'm your best friend. I wouldn't lie to you, and neither would John. He's not like that."

"I know you wouldn't lie to me. It's the drama that I'm trying to distance myself from. AJ meddles in John's life. She's always up his ass. She always wants to know where he is, what he's doing, she calls and texts him all the time… I mean she even shows up places she knows he's going to be. I really don't want to deal with that. _IF_ anything were to happen between John and I, she'd be the thorn in my side. Constantly meddling… I just don't want to deal with that."

"Ugh… I just wish you would get to know him, then base your decision off of that and not someone else's words or actions," Natalya said, throwing a towel at her friend. "You never know, he could be good for you. Besides, haven't you been single for long enough?" Natalya questioned with a smirk.

Trish picked up the towel and threw it back at Natalya. Her friend's words stung a little. Natalya was right. Trish had been single for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like to actually be in a relationship. But she was fine with her choice to be single. She had been hurt one too many times. She didn't want to let herself get hurt again. Besides, being in a relationship and being in love was overrated anyway. She enjoyed her life. She could do whatever she wanted, and she didn't have to answer to anyone. She could come and go as she pleased; she didn't have to get permission from a boyfriend before she went somewhere or did something. She could just pack up and go if she wanted to. She had her family and friends, and that's all she really needed.

"I don't think it really has anything to do with AJ. I think AJ is just your excuse. I think you're afraid if you give him a chance, you're going to like him. I think that's why you keep running from it and pushing him away.".

"I'm not running from anything…" Trish said, softly.

There was a long silence as the two girls finished changing out of their wrestling gear.

"So, are you going to the bar with us tonight?" Natalya asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Eh, I dunno. I haven't decided," Trish answered.

"You should, it will be fun. Come, let your hair down. Tyson will drive us," Natalya said, almost begging her friend.

"Where is it again?"

"We're going to Halo."

"Who's all going?" Trish asked with a smirk. She only wanted to know if one particular person was going, but already knew the answer to her question, especially since Nattie kept pushing for her to come.

A grin spread across Natalya's face. "Oh you know, just a bunch of us."

"Like?"

"Like me, Tyson, Kaitlyn, Maria, Tamina, Mike, Cody, Randy… To name a few. We put the word out, Halo was the spot we were going tonight if anyone wanted to go out," Natalya answered.

Trish frowned, "I don't think I'm going then."

"Why not?" Natalya demanded.

"Is that really a question?" Trish asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, that's really a question."

"Randy's going… So... that means John's going…" Trish trailed off.

Natalya rolled her eyes, a frown spreading across her face, "You've got to be kidding me! You're not going because John's going?"

"I think I'd rather avoid the situation," Trish answered, stuffing her ring gear into her bag.

"Why does it matter if John's going to be there? You know, you can't avoid him forever. You work together, and after the meeting you had with Stephanie and Paul, you already know they're working you two into a story line together. You're going to _have_ to be around him, you're going to _have_ to work with him. You won't be able to run from him then."

Trish stayed silent. She knew Natalya was right again. Stephanie McMahon and her husband, Paul better known as Triple H, called her in for a developmental meeting earlier in the day. To Trish's surprise, John was already sitting at the table with them when she walked in. Her stomach sank when she saw him; she already knew what was coming. Paul and Stephanie had gotten wind of the backstage friction between Trish and AJ over John and thought it would be great to play out on TV. Trish wasn't happy about the developmental meeting, but she put a smile on her face and gave Stephanie and Paul the yes they wanted to hear. She knew being forced into this storyline, would make it impossible to avoid John and there was nothing she could do about it now. But not going tonight would prolong the inevitable, if only for one more night.

"Please come. I really want my best friend to come out and have a good time with me," Natalya begged. "Just an hour, then you can leave if you want to. Promise."

Trish let out a sigh, "Fine… I'll go."

"Yay!" Natalya squealed.

Both of the girls were quiet as they finished getting ready. Trish stood in the mirror, giving herself a once over. She had decided on a pair of dark blue jeans and a cream scoop neck t-shirt. She wore her long, thick, blonde hair straight down her back stopping just above her waist. Trish leaned closer to the mirror, inspecting a flaw she saw in her makeup. She used her thumb to wipe away a smudge of eyeliner in the corner of her eye. She blinked her sapphire blue eyes, and nodded. _That's about as good as I'm gonna get_, she thought to herself. Natalya walked over to the mirror, and gave Trish a bump with her hip and took control of the mirror. She pulled out a tube of lip gloss to finish off her look for the night. Just then, they heard a knock on the door to their locker room.

"Tyson's here," Natalya said with a giddy smile. "Are you ready to go?"

Trish rolled her eyes, "Let's go and get this over with."

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? Reviews, tips, and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"This place is packed," Natalya shouted over the music.

"Yeah it is. I think all of Atlanta is here. Are you sure you didn't Tweet or post on Facebook where we were going?" Trish teased.

"No," Natalya said, sticking her tongue out at Trish. "Come on, I see Maria over there… Oh there's Randy too. Cool, it looks like they've already got some tables together," Natalya said as she grabbed Trish and pulled her through the crowd.

"Hey guys," Randy said, as he turned around to face them. "Holy shit! You came. I didn't think you'd come," Randy said to Trish as he gave her a hug.

"Funny Orton, funny," Trish said sarcastically as she lightly punched him in the arm.

"Ouch," Randy said teasingly rubbing his arm. "You can't blame me though. You never come and hang out with us. And you know who is here. I figured for sure you wouldn't come."

"I wasn't going to, but Natalya begged me to come."

Natalya grinned.

"Good work Natalya. John will be happy you're here," Randy said with that cocky smile only Randy could give. Randy turned his head to scan the crowd until he found who he was looking for. "Hey John," Randy shouted over the music, "Guess who showed up?"

John looked up from his conversation with Mike, better known as The Miz, to look at Randy.

Trish punched Randy in the ribs, and shook her head. "You're an ass, Orton."

Randy chuckled, "I know, but I can't help myself." Then Randy looked back over to John and stepped aside, pointing to Trish.

John's eyes lit up when he saw her. Trish's stomach dropped when she saw him. John raised his hand and waved to her. The corners of Trish's lips curled up into a small, nervous smile and she waved back. John quickly finished his conversation with Mike, and started towards her.

Trish grabbed Natalya's arm and started dragging her towards the bar before John could weave his way through the crowd to get to them, "Hey, let's go get something to drink."

"Umm, ouch. I think you just pulled my arm out of its socket," Natalya complained as she rubbed her arm.

"Sorry," Trish mumbled.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to get a drink."

Natalya smirked, "You mean because John was headed towards us."

Trish rolled her eyes at Natalya.

"You're not going to be able to avoid him forever. He's going to be over there when we go back you know," Natalya said.

"I know, you keep reminding me."

The bartender walked over to the girls, "Good evening ladies, what can I get for ya?"

"Two rum and cokes and a beer, please. And can you make one of them strong?" _I'm gonna need it_, Trish thought to herself.

"Coming right up," the bartender answered with a smile.

A few minutes later the bartender returned, handing the drinks to the girls. Trish paid the bartender, and took a big swig of her drink. _Ahh_, she thought, _that'll definitely do the trick. Just enough to calm the nerves but not enough to make a mess of myself. Perfect. _Trish followed Natalya back to the large group. Natalya made her way to her boyfriend, Tyson. Trish handed Tyson the beer she had gotten for him.

"Thanks," Tyson said with a smile. "You gonna be okay?" he asked Trish.

"Sure, why wouldn't I?

"John's here."

"_And_?"

Tyson gave her that 'you know what I'm talking about' look.

Trish rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

"I'm kidding. I know he makes you… Uncomfortable," Tyson said.

"We're friends. He doesn't make me feel… Uncomfortable," Trish mocked. "He..."

Tyson cut Trish off, "He makes you nervous. And yeah… Sure… You're friends alright," Tyson scoffed. "Because _all_ friends avoid each other like the plague the way you do him."

Trish gave Tyson a quick jab to the ribs, "I'm _NOT_ nervous."

Tyson grinned mischievously, "Yeah, okay... Whatever you say. Remember, _I'm_ your ride back to the hotel tonight."

"Tyson, are you threatening me? I don't think my _best friend_ would like that very much," she asked with a sarcastic smile.

"Trish, I would _never_ threaten you. My _girlfriend_ wouldn't like that very much," Tyson retorted with an equally sarcastic smile.

"Alright you two, that's enough," Natalya interjected, stepping in between her best friend and her boyfriend.

"It's okay babe, you know we're just joking," Tyson explained, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Just then, Rihanna's _Where Have You Been_, started paying. "Yeeeaaahhhhh! It's my song!" Natalya squealed. "Let's go, it's time to dance," Natalya said, grabbing Trish by the arm and pulling her towards the dance floor.

_I've been everywhere, man_

_Looking for someone_

_Someone who can please me_

_Love me all night long_

_I've been everywhere, man_

_Looking for you babe_

_Looking for you babe_

_Searching for you babe_

_Where have you been_

_Cause I never see you out_

_Are you hiding from me, yeah?_

_Somewhere in the crowd_

_Where have you been,_

_All my life, all my life_

_Where have you been, all my life_

Tyson followed the girls out to the dance floor. He put his arms around Natalya's waist and began dancing with her. Soon Rosa, Tamina, Mike, Kaitlyn, Alicia, Alex, Darren, Titus, Cameron, Naomi, Damien, and even Cody had made their way out to the dance floor. They were all laughing and dancing together.

_Where have you been, all my life_

_You can have me all you want_

_Any way, any day_

_To show me where you are tonight_

_I've been everywhere, man_

_Looking for someone_

_Someone who can please me_

_Love me all night long_

_I've been everywhere, man_

_Looking for you babe_

_Looking for you babe_

_Searching for you babe_

Only John and Randy were left standing at the tables. John took a sip of his beer. "What's wrong with me?" he asked Randy, watching everyone dancing and having a good time.

"What's wrong with you?" Randy repeated, "_That's_ a loaded question my friend," he added with a chuckle.

John frowned, "I'm serious man."

"Lighten up. There's nothing wrong with you, why?"

"Why does she avoid me like the plague?"

"She doesn't," Randy answered, finishing off the last mouthful of his beer.

"She doesn't?" John asked, frowning again. "You got a 'hello' and a hug; she took off before I could even get over here to say hi like I have leprosy or something."

"She went to get drinks, that's all man. Don't read too much into it. Over thinking things will only drive you nuts."

The song switched over to Usher's _Scream_ in the bar. A cocktail waitress walked by Randy and John. John flagged down the waitress and ordered another beer for himself and one for Randy.

_I see you over there, so hypnotic  
Thinking 'bout what I do to that body  
I get you like ooh baby baby_

_Ooh baby baby, ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby  
Got no drink in my hand  
But I'm wasted  
Getting drunk of the thought of you naked  
I get you like ooh baby baby  
Ooh baby baby, ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby_

After a few minutes, the waitress was back with the beers. "Here you go, handsome," she said, smiling brightly at John as she tried to hand him the beer.

John was distracted, staring at Trish on the dance floor as she danced with her friends.

"Ahem," the waitress said clearing her throat, "Your beer, hot stuff," she offered again with a big smile.

"Oh… Umm… Thanks," he answered, handing her money to pay for the beers she had brought him. "Keep the change," he added, never taking his eyes off Trish.

"… Thanks," she said, walking away shrugging.

_And I ain't trying to fight it, to fight it  
But you're so magnetic, magnetic  
Got one life, just live it, just live it  
Now relax, sing it on your back_

_If you wanna scream, yeah_  
_Let me know and I'll take you there_  
_Get you going like ah-ooh_  
_Baby baby ooh baby baby_  
_Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby_  
_If you wanna turn right_  
_Hope you're ready to go all night_  
_Get you going like ah-ooh_  
_Baby baby ooh baby baby_  
_Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby_  
_If you wanna scream_

_Yeah, come on_  
_Kill the lights, shut 'em off_  
_You're electric_  
_Devil eyes telling me come and get it_  
_I have you like ooh_  
_Baby baby ooh baby baby_

_Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby  
Girl tonight you're the prey  
I'm the hunter  
Take you here, take you there  
Take you wonder  
Imagine me whispering in your ear  
Then I wanna, take off your clothes and put something on ya_

"I don't think I'm over thinking it Randy…" John spoke again after a few minutes of silence between them.

"I think you are," Randy answered.

John didn't say anything this time. Maybe Randy was right? John didn't think so, but she at least talked to Randy. Maybe he knew something John didn't know? After a few minutes of silence, Randy looked at John. He could tell by the look on John's face he was deep in thought.

"Dude, I'm telling you, don't over think it. She doesn't hate you. She thinks of you as her friend. She's just guarded with heart and her feelings. She's been hurt; she doesn't trust or open up easily. Just let things play out, she'll warm up. You're gonna dive yourself crazy if you keep trying to analyze it. Speaking of crazy… Don't look now, but AJ just showed up."

John let out a loud sigh, "It figures."

"Yeah, and she's making a b-line straight for you."

_Out, louder, scream louder  
Louder, louder, louder  
Hey, tonight I scream, I'm on need_

_If you wanna scream, yeah  
Let me know and I'll take you there  
Get you going like ah-ooh  
Baby baby ooh baby baby  
Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby  
If you wanna turn right  
Hope you're ready to go all night  
Get you going like ah-ooh  
Baby baby ooh baby baby  
Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby  
If you wanna scream_

The song in the bar changed again. Pit Bull's _International Love_ began to play through the speakers. The crowd started to thin out on the dance floor. "My glass is empty," Natalya said, looking at Tyson.

Tyson smiled, "I'll get you a refill, babe. How about you, Trish?"

"Yes please."

"No problem. I'll be right back," Tyson said, placing a quick peck on Natalya's cheek.

"Hey, let's go see what Randy and John are up to," Natalya grabbed Trish by the arm and began pulling her through the crowd, back to the tables where Randy and John still were before she had a chance to protest. Natalya gave Trish a shove, which caused her to bump into the back of John. John turned around to see what happened and came face to face with Trish.

"Sorry," Trish mumbled as her face began to turn red.

A small smile tugged at the corner of John's lips. "It's okay," he offered, the smile creeping onto his lips.

Trish shot Natalya a glare, Natalya grinned back at Trish, proud of her handiwork. Tyson came up behind Natalya and nudged her. "Here's your drink babe. And here's one for you Trish," he said, handing her the glass. "Oh, nice shade of red you're wearing. It really brings out your eyes," Tyson pointed out, which made her turn even more red.

John's small smile had spread all the way across his lips into a full blown smile. "She looks good no matter what shade she's wearing."

Just then, there was a new voice added into the conversation. A voice John would be happy if he'd never heard again. "Hey guys! I made it!" AJ's high pitched voice rang in.

Natalya rolled her eyes. "Who invited her?"

"Now, now, babe. Be nice," Tyson chided.

"There are just some people I can't be nice to," Natalya shot back.

AJ made her way around the group until she was standing in front of John. The happy features of her tiny face began to change. Her features turned dark, her lips twisted in a scowl. "_She's_ here?" AJ spat out in the direction of Trish. "You're here with _her_?"

"Yes _she's _here, and what business is it of yours if he's here with Trish or with anyone else for that matter? Last time I checked, you weren't his mother nor anything else other than a co-worker_,_" Natalya answered, the anger building in her tone. "And how funny, I thought the same thing when I saw _you_ show up here."

"You can relax, AJ. He's not here _with_ me. We're just both at the same place," Trish corrected the tiny brunette, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated any more. But it was too late for that. The energy in the room had already begun to shift. The light, happy energy quickly turned into a thick tension. Trish knew it was time for her to go.

"It's cool, Natalya. I'm leaving anyway."

"What do you mean you're leaving? We're not ready to leave," Natalya demanded.

"That's okay. You guys stay and have a good time. I'm gonna head out, I'm getting pretty tired anyway."

"How are you going to head out? I drove you," Tyson asked.

"Don't leave because of AJ," Randy said. "Don't pay her any mind. I sure as hell don't. Don't let her ruin your night. We were actually having a good time, until she showed up."

"Yeah, don't leave. Please?" John added softly.

"Really, I'm getting tired. I'm gonna catch a cab and head back to the hotel," Trish lied as she put her glass on the table. She gave Natalya a quick hug, "Have fun, I'll see you in the morning." She spun on her heel and wove her way through the crowd towards exit. She didn't care if she had to walk; all she cared about was getting the hell out of there.

Natalya frowned as she watched her friend walk towards the exit of the bar. She knew Trish wasn't tired and that she was only leaving because AJ had shown up and already started her shit. Natalya could feel herself begin to get angrier about the situation the more she thought about it. Tyson knew Natalya was fuming; he started rubbing her arms in an effort to try to calm her down. He knew if Natalya were to get her hands on AJ, she'd snap her like a twig.

"Well, I for one, am glad she's leaving," AJ scoffed as she glared in the direction of the leaving woman.

"So John baby, shall we dance?" AJ asked with a big smile.

"No," John answered acrimoniously.

AJ pouted, "Why not John?"

"All the sudden, I don't feel like being here anymore. I'm out." John slammed his beer down on the table and turned to leave.

"Hold up John," Randy called after him. "I'm going with you. I don't feel like being here anymore either."

AJ stood there, seething. Her brown eyes darkened with the anger that cursed through her veins. One way or another, she was going to get what she wanted. She was going to change John's mind and make him hers no matter what it took. And she didn't care what it took or who didn't like it.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? So reviews, tips, and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Trish rolled over groggily. She poked her head out from under the covers and squinted to look at her alarm clock. _7:45am… Are you kidding me?_ She thought to herself.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Trish threw the covers off as she begrudgingly drug herself out of her nice warm bed. "Yeah, yeah. I hear ya! Give me a minute," she called out. "This damn hotel had better be burning down if someone's banging on my door at 7:45," she muttered to herself. She slid the chain on the door, and pulled to door open to be greeted by her best friend. Natalya smiled; Trish rolled her eyes and shut the door without inviting her friend in.

"Did I ever tell you how pleasant you are in the morning?" Natalya teased with a chuckle.

Trish grumbled something incoherent under her breath as she drug herself back to her bed. She threw herself back in bed and covered herself back up.

"Nice try," Natalya said as she jumped on her friend. "Get up, get up, get up! I'm hungry! Let's go down to the lobby and get some breakfast. I won't even make you go to the pancake house this time." Natalya pealed the covers down from her friends face.

Trish let out a sigh. She knew it was useless to fight and besides, she was already awake. "You're so lucky I love you because it could be potentially fatal to wake me up, _especially_ at an ungodly hour like 7:45 on my day _off_ and I don't _have_ to be up early."

Natalya grinned. "I know I can get away with it."

"Ugh… Get off me and I'll get dressed. You're entirely too chipper in the morning, just in case you were wondering…" Trish scowled, hitting her friend in the head with a pillow.

Natalya giggled, "You got it!"

Trish trudged over to her bag and started rummaging around, trying to find something suitable to wear. She pulled out a few articles of clothing and tossed them on the bed. After a few minutes, she finally decided on a pair of black yoga pants and a baby blue tank top. She pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail then walked over to the bathroom to brush her teeth. A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom.

"Alright pain in my ass, let's go."

Natalya grinned, "Took ya long enough. I'm starving! Tyson is already down there. I told him to save us a table."

Trish followed her best friend down to the lobby of the hotel and into the dining area. They had the usual hotel buffet of breakfast foods. The girls walked though the line and picked out their breakfast items. Natalya settled on a cinnamon raisin bagel, toasted, with regular cream cheese. She also grabbed a bowl of fresh cut fruit. Trish decided on a nice, warm bowl of oat meal. She put some fresh strawberries on top to finish it off. After getting their food, they headed over to get some coffee. After they were satisfied with their breakfast choices, they turned around to look for Tyson. Tyson stood up and waved to the girls so they could find him at the table.

"There he is," Natalya said, pointing in the direction of Tyson.

Trish followed Natalya through the crowed room towards Tyson. As they got closer to the table, Trish's stomach sank. Mike, Randy and John were sitting at the big round table along with Tyson. Natalya walked around the table to take her seat between Mike and Tyson. She gave Tyson a quick peck on the cheek when she sat down. Trish let out a soft sigh, and walked over to the table to take the last empty chair between Randy and John. There was a long silence at the table as they ate breakfast.

"Morning," John said softly to Trish, not looking up from his plate.

"Morning."

"Yeah, good morning," Randy said shoving a fork full of eggs in his mouth. "I'm surprised to see you down here; you're never up this early."

Trish smiled, "Oh believe me... I wouldn't normally be awake yet, but _someone_ had other plans."

Natalya grinned, "Oh shut it. It won't kill you to get up early for once in your life!"

"I agree with you. If it weren't for Randy, I wouldn't be up either. Randy seems to think that just because he's up, everyone has to be up," John added, still not looking up from his plate.

Randy threw his napkin at John. "You're damn right, if I'm up, your ass is gonna get up too. I sure as hell ain't gonna tiptoe around so your ass can sleep."

"_You_ tiptoe?" John scoffed. "Yeah right. You're a damn bull in a China shop. You couldn't be quiet or gentle if you _had_ to."

Randy made a fake gasping sound, pretending to be insulted. "I'm a gentle soul, I'll have you know!"

Trish laughed softly. "Shit's gettin deep around here."

"See! Even she doesn't believe you," John said pointing at Randy.

"You guys are too much," Trish said with a laugh. "I'm outta here. I'm gonna take my ass back upstairs, turn on some cartoons, and try to take a nice little nap."

Trish pushed her chair out and got up. She picked up her tray and walked over to the trash can to throw away her trash. She turned around to wave goodbye to her group of friends.

"Hey, a bunch of us are going out to dinner tonight. You're gonna come right?" Natalya called out to her friend.

Trish hesitated a moment, "Yeah... I'll go."

"Okay, we'll meet you in the lobby at about 6:30," Tyson called to her.

Trish nodded her head and continued on her way back to her hotel room.

"You gonna come John?" Natalya asked.

John didn't say anything for a minute. "Nah, I think I'm gonna pass."

Natalya frowned. "Why not?"

"Were you there last night?"

"Yeah? _And_?"

John let out a sigh, "It was a disaster. I think it would be better if I don't go. It's no big deal really. A night in, some TV, and some room service sounds like a good plan to me."

Natalya shook her head and frowned. "I think you should come. I think Trish would be disappointed if you didn't come. Think about it..." Natalya added as she stood up.

Tyson got up to follow Natalya, "I think you should come too. If you don't, she might think it's her fault you didn't come."

Randy and John sat in silence for a few minutes. "Dude, don't let what happened last night stop you. Like I told you before, she doesn't hate you. You can't show her the real you if you don't spend any time around her."

"I agree with Randy," Mike added. "She'll come around. She just has to see the real you. She's had AJ do nothing but hammer her with that 'I'm with John' shit. Then you and the rest of us hammer her with the "No he's not.' She's overwhelmed with it all, and she's understandably sick of AJ and her shit. She talks to me, you know that. I've asked her about her feelings about you, and every time she says she's got nothing against you. You're a nice guy; she thinks you're funny… Which she likes."

"Yeah, she thinks I'm a nice guy, and I'm funny, and everything, yet she takes off every time she sees me. She barely speaks to me, and when she does, it barely constitutes as conversation," John scoffed.

"Did you ever think that maybe she avoids you because she's scared if she lets her guard down she might catch feelings for you?" Randy posed.

John didn't say anything. He never thought of it that way, but he didn't want to let himself think there may be a chance. He didn't want to let himself get excited about the potentially good news his friends were sharing with him. He had already mentally come to terms with the fact that in his mind, he didn't have a chance in hell. He didn't want to let hope sneak in now.

"You just have to keep doing what you're doing. Prove AJ to be the liar she is" Mike added.

John still didn't say anything; he just listened. "I just wanted her to let herself get to know me, and then if she still didn't like me, then I would be able to accept that. I didn't want to be shot down before I even had the chance because of someone else."

"You haven't been shot down yet. Quit your bitchin. You're going to dinner tonight," Randy said with his trademark cocky smile.

John shook his head. "I'll think about it. But let's get the hell out of here. I need to work out."

"I guess you misunderstood my you are going for do you want to go? Let me clear that up for ya. You're going. Period. End of conversation."

"Well thanks for clearing that up for me Randy," John said sarcastically.

The three men got up from their table, grabbed their food trays, and headed out of the room towards the gym. John had a lot to think about. He hoped this workout would help clear his head.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? So reviews, tips, and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After lying in bed, tossing and turning for an hour, Trish finally gave up on her dream of going back to sleep. She rolled over and grabbed the remote off the night stand and clicked on the TV. She flicked through the stations, nothing in particular catching her interest. She finally decided on some talk show. She wasn't really interested in the talk show; she just hoped it would bore her enough into sleep. About an hour later, Trish's phone vibrated on the night stand.

_Hey, are you awake? – N_

_Yes... – T_

_Couldn't sleep? lol – N_

_Not funny. I tried like hell though :) – T_

_Tyson is headed down to the gym. I don't feel like going. Mind if I come up? – N_

_Did you really just ask me that? – T_

_:) I'll be right up – N_

A few minutes later, Trish heard a knock at her door. She smiled to herself as she walked over to unlock the door to let her friend in. _She must have been down standing outside my door when she sent that text_, she thought chuckling. Trish pulled open the door to be greeted with a big smile from her best friend.

"What were you doing? Standing out here the whole time?" Trish joked.

"No, I was down the hall," Natalya said, sticking her tongue out at her friend.

Natalya walked past Trish into the small hotel room. She flopped down on the edge of the bed and let out a sigh.

Trish knew this meant Natalya wanted to talk about something… And it was probably going to be something Trish didn't want to talk about. She walked around the bed, crawled back into her spot and pulled the covers up around her. The two girls sat there in silence for a few minutes. She could see on Natalya's face she wanted to approach some sort of topic, but was searching for the right way to say it.

"Alright… What is it?" Trish asked, finally breaking the silence.

"What?" Natalya asked, pretending to not know what Trish was talking about.

"There's something on your mind, it's all over your face. Let's go, out with it."

Natalya smiled, "Am I that transparent?"

"No, I just know my best friend. So what's up?"

"Well I was talking to Mike…"

"And?"

"John's probably not coming to dinner tonight."

"Why not?"

"The gist I got from the conversation is he doesn't want you to feel uncomfortable. He doesn't want a repeat of last night, so he's gonna avoid the whole situation. He thinks you'll have a better time if he doesn't come."

Trish didn't say anything for a minute. She immediately felt bad that her actions had caused John to feel that way. "Well, that's not true. I don't not want him to come."

A small smile pulled at the corners of Natalya's lips. "Well Mike tried to talk to him, Randy tried, Tyson tried, and I tried. He's not having any of it. He just keeps saying, no, that he's going to say at the hotel, order room service, and watch TV for the night."

Trish frowned. She felt terrible that her actions had made John feel like he wasn't wanted. She did want him around. She enjoyed spending time with him. He was a sweet guy and he was incredibly funny. Being around John was always a good time. It never turned into a bad time until AJ showed up. Trish realized she was being too hard on John. The truth was, she liked being around John, although she wouldn't tell him nor any of their friends that. Being around him was so easy. He just had one of those personalities. He was like a magnet. He drew people to him because he was so fun to be around. And truth be told, he was gorgeous. She wasn't blind.

"Why don't you like being around him?" Natalya questioned.

"I never said I didn't _like_ being around him. I don't mind at all."

"Soooo… Why do you try to avoid him like the plague?"

Trish threw herself back to lie on her pillow and sighed, "I don't know, Nattie."

"I think I know."

Trish stayed silent.

"Because you're afraid you're going to like him… You're afraid if you let him get close to you… And you're afraid you're going to get hurt again."

Trish remained silent again. She frowned. She hated how her best friend knew her so well sometimes.

"You can't compare everyone to Jason," Natalya said softly.

"I know," Trish whispered. She felt an all too familiar twinge of pain in her heart as her friend spoke his name.

"John's not Jason. You can't hold John accountable for Jason's mistakes. It's been two years since you left him. You haven't been with anyone since. And you're far too pretty to be my forever single, crazy-cat-lady best friend. I refuse to let that happen," Natalya added with a smile.

Trish couldn't help but to laugh. "I don't even like cats. I'm more of a dog person."

Natalya grabbed hold of a pillow and threw it at Trish. "Smartass."

Trish grinned at her, "It's the truth."

"I think you should call John and invite him to dinner tonight. And if he argues with you about going, I think you should pull the 'But I want you to' card."

"Call? How about I text him?" Trish asked with a lopsided smile.

Natalya laughed, "Text?"

"Yeah. I'll text him."

"I guess that'll work. Better than nothin," Natalya said with a roll of her eyes.

"Baby steps, Nattie. Baby steps."

Natalya picked up Trish's phone and handed it to her. "Let's go. Get those fingers texting."

Trish sucked in a breath of air as she scrolled through her contacts, in search of John's name. She flipped her phone to her "J" contacts and soon her cursor sat on John's name. She stared at her phone for a minute as her stomach started to tie itself in knots with nervousness. She looked up at Natalya, who was already giving her the 'come on, quit stalling' look. She clicked on John's name and her phone brought up the conversation box. _Here goes nothin_, she thought.

* * *

John laid stretched across his bed, staring at the ceiling. The TV was on but he wasn't paying any attention to it. It served more as background noise then anything else. Randy had decided he wanted to hit the mall after their workout session. John was enjoying the time to himself. As he laid there, staring at the ceiling, he heard his phone signal he had received a text message. He rolled over to his stomach, and stretched to the night stand to reach for his phone. What the hell could Randy possibly want now, John thought. He clicked the button to turn his phone on and his home screen lit up. New text message it read. John clicked on the little envelope, and it popped up 'Trish.' _No way_, he thought.

_I think you should come to dinner tonight with us – T_

_Thanks for the offer but I don't really feel like going out tonight. Room service and my TV are in store for me – J_

_I'd really like it if you'd come :( – T_

John blinked and reread her last text message four times to be sure he read what he thought he'd read. That can't be Trish, John thought. He clicked on the info just to check to see if it was the right number. It was… After a few minutes, his phone went off again.

John sat there, still in shock. Not quite sure how to respond.

_I guess that's a no? –T_

John laid there staring at the screen of his phone. He wasn't sure if he should be excited or if someone was playing a prank on him.

_I'm here. Sorry about that. Randy called me... But if you really want me to come tonight, I will –J_

_I really want you to come – T_

_Are you sure? – J_

_Yes I'm sure. But if you really don't want to go, I won't force you :( – T_

_No, no. If you want me to go, then I'll go – J_

_Good!. Then I guess I'll see you tonight? :) – T_

_Yeah. Definitely. See you tonight – J_

John dropped his phone on the bed next. He rolled back over to lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling, mulling the conversation he just had with Trish over in his head again. He couldn't help the smile that crept across his face. He took his arms, crossed them, and put them under his head. What if it wasn't her? What if Natalya or someone texted me from her phone, pretending to be her? What if it really was her? _It's too late to back out now. You said you'd go Cena_, John thought to himself. John heard the door open, and Randy walked in. He dropped his bags on the floor and looked at John, sprawled across his bed, with that big shit eating grin on his face.

"And why the hell are you grinning like a Cheshire cat?"

"Trish texted me."

A look of shock came across Randy's face. "She did?"

"Yeah."

"And? What did she say?" Randy added impatiently.

John grabbed his phone and threw it to Randy. "Here, ready it for yourself."

Randy caught it and immediately went to the conversation he wanted to see. Randy stood there silently for a few minutes reading the conversation. Randy got to the end of the conversation, and his cocky smile spread across his face.

"I told you," Randy said as he tossed John's phone back to him. "I take it you're going to dinner tonight?" Randy asked with a sly smile as she sat down on his bed.

"Is that really even a question?"

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? So reviews, tips, and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Trish paced around her room in a towel. She was quickly growing frustrated because she couldn't find anything she found to be satisfactory to go to dinner tonight. She already had butterflies, and she hated it. Just then she heard a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Me, open up girly."

Trish went over to the door and opened it for her friend. Natalya could help but to chuckle when she saw the almost frantic look on the shorter girl's face.

"You okay love?"

Trish shot Natalya a look. "Does it look like I'm okay?"

"What's wrong?"

Trish extended her arms out, pointing to the mess strewn all about her room. "I can't find anything to wear!"

Natalya laughed. "I'm wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt. Nothing to get all fussy about. The guys are wearing jeans and t-shirts too."

Trish took the towel off her head and threw it at Natalya. She walked over to her clothes and started rummaging around again. She pulled out a pair of light acid washed jeans and threw them on the bed. She went back to the heap of clothes and started looking for a shirt. After a few minutes, she picked up a medium gray, ribbed, v-neck sweater. It was her favorite shirt. It was soft, and it clung to her curves in all the right places. She especially liked the way it extenuated her full breasts. The v-neck showed the perfect amount of cleavage, not too much and not too little. She sat on the edge of her bed in her bra and panties and slid into her jeans. She pulled her socks onto her feet, and then slid into her sneakers. She decided on her brand new white on white Nike Shocks. After that she stood up, slid her belt through the belt loops, and secured it in the front. Then she grabbed her shirt and slid it her over her head. She slid her hands down her side and smoothed her shirt over her body. She gave herself a once over in the mirror. She turned to her friend, looking for approval.

"You look hot! John's gonna love that shirt. It makes your boobs look great!"

Trish chuckled and headed to the bathroom to fix her makeup. She started with black eyeliner and rimmed in inside of her entire eye. Then she reached for a silver eye shadow and swept that over her eyelids. She went back to her eye shadow palette and went for a deep gunmetal gray shadow and smudged that in the outside corners of her eyelids. She grabbed her eyeliner, closed her eye and traced a black line on her eye just above her eyelashes. She did the same to her other eye then finished her eyes off with a coating of black mascara. She took a long look in the mirror, trying to decide what to do with her hair. She decided to just pin a small section back with bobby pins. Then she grabbed her lip gloss, she chose a pale pink with just a hint of shimmer, and smeared it across her full lips. She took one more look in the mirror and shrugged.

"Whoot whoot," Natalya whistled. "I'm loving the pale lips and the smoky eyes. Very seductive girl! John's not gonna know how to act when he sees you!"

Trish's stomach did another flip, "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's seen me plenty of times. It's nothing new or special tonight."

"He hasn't seen you looking like this… yet," Natalya grinned.

The sound of Natalya's phone stopped the girl's conversation. She reached into her purse to grab her phone. She pulled it out, and looked at it.

"It's Tyson. He wants to know if we're ready to go?"

"It's only 6:18. We're not late yet. But yes, tell him we're ready."

"Okay, let's go. He said Mike, Randy, and John are down there already. We're just waiting for Kaitlyn."

Trish grabbed her lip gloss, phone, and threw them in her purse. Trish followed Natalya out the door and down the hallway towards the elevator. Natalya hit the down button, and a few minutes later the bell dung and the doors opened. The girls stepped into the elevator and Natalya reached over and pressed the "L" button for the lobby. The elevator began its decent to the lobby, and the closer to the lobby they got, the more butterflies Trish got in the pit of her stomach. _I don't even know why I'm so nervous. I've been around John a million times. Why is this time any different?_ She thought. A few minutes later, the elevator bell dung, and the doors slid open. Trish tried to steady herself as her hands and knees begun to shake.

"You look like you're gonna throw up, you okay?" Natalya whispered to her as she reached out and slid her arm through Trish's to link arms.

"Yeah… I'm fine."

Then it dawned on Natalya, and a big grin spread across her lips. "You're nervous!" she whispered to her friend.

Trish elbowed Natalya, "I'm not nervous!"

The girls walked in silence the remainder of the way towards the small group that begun to assemble in the lobby. Trish could hear Randy and Mike bickering about something, she watched as Randy hauled off and smacked Mike in the back of the head. "Really?" she heard Mike shout. Randy just laughed at the shorter man. Then he came into view. He was standing there talking to Tyson. _He looks so sexy_, Trish thought. Whatever he and Tyson were talking about brought that knee weakening smile to John's face. She could feel her knees turn to jello. Tyson caught a glimpse of the girls approaching. He stepped aside, giving Trish a full view of John_. Good Lord, he's… Wait. What the hell am I thinking!? Stop that!_ Trish mentally chided herself. Tyson turned around to face the girls.

"There you are beautiful," Tyson said greeting his girlfriend with a big smile. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. Natalya rewarded him with a warm smile. Tyson released his girlfriend and turned to Trish. He gave her a quick hug, "You look great, girl."

"Thanks," Trish smiled.

Randy and Mike walked over towards the girls. Randy wrapped his arms around Trish and gave her a squeeze. "Aw, you dressed all sexy for John." Trish gave Randy a jab to his ribs. "Seriously, you look hot." He released Trish and made his way over to give Natalya a hug.

Mike filed through the line to give Natalya and Trish his hello hugs. John extended his arms to give Natalya a hug. "I'm glad you changed your mind about not coming," she said softly in his ear. He smiled at her in return. Natalya stepped to the side, and John came face to face with Trish. He stood there for a minute, not sure if he should hug her or not. Trish took the initiative and stepped forward toward John, opening her arms for a hug. John was slightly taken by surprise, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and Trish wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her into him, and breathed in her sent.

"You look amazing," John told her as he released his grip on her, giving her another once over.

Trish smiled, "Thanks." _Hmmm… he looks sexy and he smells amazing_, she thought to herself. _Stop that!_ She mentally scolded herself.

"Should we start taking bets on how late Kaitlyn's gonna be?" Mike joked.

"Shut it Michael. I'm here," Kaitlyn snapped.

"It's about time."

"I'm only five minutes late," Kaitlyn said, sarcastically waiving five fingers in Mike's face.

"You're lucky you're hot," Mike said shaking his head at her.

"Alright, let's get going," Tyson announced. "Mike is going to dive Kaitlyn, so I'll drive everyone else. I already had them pull my car up, so let's go."

The seven friends headed through the lobby and out the front door. Mike and Kaitlyn headed towards Mike's silver Dodge Avenger. Mike opened the door for Kaitlyn, she slid into the passenger seat, and Mike shut the door. "We'll meet you guys there," Mike called out.

Tyson walked over to his black Cadillac Escalade and pulled open the passenger front door and held it open for Natalya. She walked over and slid into her seat. John walked over and opened the passenger rear door and held it open for Trish. Trish walked over and climbed in. She slid all the way in the back in the third row seat and sat down.

Randy quickly came up behind John and whispered in his ear," Nice touch opening the door for her. Perfect shot to check out her ass." Randy chuckled, and gave John a shove. He quickly slid himself into the second row seat and threw his legs up across the seat. "Come on John, hop in. There's one more seat left for ya," Randy said with a grin.

John sighed and shook his head. He climbed up into the SUV and slid into the third row seat next to Trish. Tyson looked into his rearview mirror, "Seatbelts everyone." The five occupants of the SUV put their seatbelts on. Now satisfied everyone was buckled up, Tyson put the car in drive and pulled out of the hotel parking lot.

The restaurant was a good thirty minutes away. Tyson and Natalya were involved in their own conversation in the front. Randy was playing a game on his phone. Trish looked out the window. John looked over at Trish, wanting to try to start a conversation with her, but decided against it and opted for looking out his window instead. Natalya looked in the rearview mirror and noticed no conversation happening between Trish and John, so she decided to stir the pot. She pulled out her phone and sent her friend a text message. Trish felt her phone vibrate in her purse on her lap. She dug out her phone and opened the message.

_Talk to him! – N_

Trish smiled to herself as she read the message.

_Baby steps Nattie, baby steps :-P – T_

_Screw baby steps. You better open your mouth and start talking to him before I open mine. And that's a promise, not a threat! – N _

John looked over at Trish, smiling on her phone. "Having a good conversation over there?" John asked with a smile.

Trish looked up at him and smiled. "No, just a bossy friend."

John chuckled, "Okay then."

"I'm glad you decided to come," she said with a smile. "You look really good tonight," Trish blurted out. _Smooth, Trish… Reeeeeal smooth._

John wasn't sure if his ears had deceived him, but judging from the red color that began to paint her cheeks, he figured they were. "Well thank you," he said flashing his knee weakening smile. "You look beautiful tonight."

His words caused her cheeks to flush an even deeper red. She knew she was blushing. She could feel the heat of her flush on her cheeks. His smile grew bigger at her blushing.

"We're just about there," Tyson called out from the driver's seat.

_Thank God!_ She thought. Trish was thankful the ride was finally over and she could get away from such close proximity to John. Tyson pulled into a parking spot and turned off the engine to the car. He slid out of his seat and walked around to Natalya's door and opened it for her. She slid out of her seat and Tyson shut her door. Randy slid over to the door, opened it, and slid out. He pulled the lever of the seat to tilt it forward so John could get out. John slid out of the car, and then turned back around to Trish. He extended his hand to her to help her out. She reached out and took his hand; she could feel the strength in his hand. She slid herself towards him and he helped her out of the car using his strong hand to steady herself. After everyone was out of the car, Tyson hit the alarm of the car, and they all headed into the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: My apologies to anyone who was actually reading my story for the delay in getting chapter 6 up. I had a migraine for the last few days and was too foggy to work on the story. I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better, so here it is. Thanks for reading and as always, reviews are much appreciated!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Dinner went off without a hitch. There was great food and conversation had by all. After everyone was done eating and the bill was paid, the seven friends stood out front of the restaurant mulling over whether or not to continue the evening elsewhere or to go their separate ways.

"I think we should go back to Halo. I had a good time last night and the DJ was awesome," Kaitlyn offered.

John grimaced. "Ehh… I dunno…"

"Why not?" Kaitlyn snapped.

"Well… I mean… After what hap…" John began to say.

"If that's where everyone's going, that's where we'll go," Trish interjected. John shot Trish a look; she gave him the 'shhh' look back. Natalya passed a look between Trish and John. She looked at Tyson, and shrugged.

"Alright…" Tyson said after a few minutes. "Let's go then…"

The group of friends headed to the two vehicles. Kaitlyn made her way over to Mike's Avenger again. He opened the door for her and she slid in. He closed the car door and headed around to the driver's side door. "We'll meet you guys there again," he called out, and then he slid into his car. Tyson opened the passenger front door again for Natalya. She hopped into her seat, and he shut the door. He made his way around the SUV to his door as Randy pulled the passenger rear door open and climbed in. John extended his hand to help Trish in the SUV. She smiled, took his hand, and climbed in. After she was seated, John climbed in himself and took his seat next to her. Randy reached over and pulled the door closed.

As they were driving towards the club John leaned over to Trish and whispered, "I was just thinking that after what happened last night, maybe _that_ club wasn't a good idea."

Trish looked up from under her long, thick eyelashes at him. "I'm tired of not doing things because of someone else. Nattie's been telling me for months that I can't let other people stand in the way of what I want, or sit out of doing something for fear they'll be there and my fear of dealing with it. She's right John. I'm _not_ gonna let AJ win anymore. I'm gonna do things and go places I want to, regardless if she's there _or_ if she shows up. Besides… Me being there, and now me sticking around will piss her off that much more," she said with a grin.

John was taken aback by Trish's words. He was unsure of how to respond. So many questions now ran through his head. _What does that mean? Does that mean me? What does she mean by stand in the way of what she wants? Does she just mean about avoiding places and situations because of her? _After a few minutes of silence between the two of them, John finally realized she was still looking at him. "That's really great. I'm glad you're not gonna let that pint-sized terror get under your skin anymore. And I agree, pissing her off will be so much more fun for you," he added with a grin.

Trish let out a soft laugh and that heart stopping smile John loved spread across her full lips. "I didn't mean to bully you into going to the club if you really didn't wanna go."

Natalya looked up into the rearview mirror at her friend and John. She could hear the two of them talking softly among themselves and she couldn't help but to smile to herself. _Maybe after all the talking-to's I gave her, maybe it finally got through that thick head of hers._ She looked back at Randy, and nodded her head in the direction of them. Randy smiled and mouthed 'I know.'

John chuckled, "Bully me?"

Trish grinned, "It didn't seem like you really wanted go?"

He thought about his answer for a minute. He decided to test his luck, "If Halo is where you're going to be, that's where I want to be. I just want to spend time with you."

Trish froze at his words. John instantly knew he pushed his luck too far. When she said she wasn't going to let anyone stop her from getting what she wanted, he realized getting _him_ wasn't what she meant. Trish watched as the features of John's face began to change. His face went from happy and playful, to defeated. Trish's mind began to race and her hands started to shake with nervous anxiety. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "If you didn't wanna go to Halo, did you have another suggestion?"

"Nah, not really. Everyone seems to want to go to Halo, it's cool," John said casually looking out the window.

There was a silence between them. Trish inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm her nerves, even if it was barely. Finally she spoke up. "Well… I didn't mean everyone. I meant… Just… us…"

John snapped his attention from staring out the window to looking right at Trish. "Just us?"

"Yeah… Just us," she said softly. She could feel the heat begin to flush in her cheeks. She was blushing… Again.

A small smile began to spread across John's face. "Um, I didn't really have anything in mind, but we can come up with something."

"Okay… So… What do you wanna do?"

"Uhh… Honestly, I have no idea?"

"Would you like to come back to my room and watch a movie or something?" she asked, the red shade deepening in her cheeks.

John smiled, "Yeah. Sure. I like your idea."

Tyson pulled into the parking lot. He drove up one isle, and then down the next. He finally spotted an open spot and pulled into it. He turned off the engine. "We're here." Tyson hopped out of the car and walked around to let Natalya out. Randy reached over and opened his door, then slid out. John slid out, then turned back around and extended his hand out to help Trish out. The five friends headed to the entrance of the club. They could see Mike and Kaitlyn waiting outside for them Natalya turned to follow Tyson into the club, but turned around when she noticed Trish wasn't following.

"You coming?" Natalya asked.

"Umm… No. Uhhh… I… I mean, we're…" Trish stammered. "John and I don't really feel like going to the club, so we're gonna head back to the hotel and watch a movie or something."

Natalya lips twisted into a full-blown grin. "Oh, okay."

"Well, you two crazy kids enjoy your night, and… uhh… don't do anything _I_ wouldn't do," Randy added with a wink.

"So do you want my keys? You guys can take my car back to the hotel and Kaitlyn and I can ride back with Tyson," Mike asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his set of car keys.

"If you don't mind. Or we can just catch a cab back, no big deal," John answered.

Mike smirked, "Nah dude, I don't mind at all. It'll get you back to the hotel faster anyway," he added with a wink.

Trish began to feel the warmth in her cheeks, as they began to fill with red again. Mike tossed his keys to John. John caught the keys and turned to Trish, "Ready to go?"

Trish nodded. John turned and headed towards Mike's car. Trish followed behind him. They finally reached the car, John hit the 'unlock' button on the keypad, and opened the door for her. She slid into her seat; John waited to make sure she was in comfortably, and then shut the door. He walked around the car to the driver's seat and slid in. He reached back for the seatbelt, and pulled it across his large chest until he found the buckle and clicked it in. Trish already had her seatbelt on. John put the car in drive, and pulled out of the parking lot, headed for the hotel. The ride was spent in silence. Every now and then, John would look Trish and they'd pass a smile between them. Finally, they reached the hotel. John pulled into the hotel parking lot and began to search for a parking spot. After a quick search, John found a spot and pulled in. He turned the engine off, unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car. Seconds later, he was at Trish's door, opening it for her. She reached down and unbuckled her seatbelt, then slid out of the car. John shut the door then hit the 'lock' button on the keypad. They walked in silence to the hotel. They entered the lobby, and walked over to the elevator. The elevator door opened, Trish stepped in and John followed after her. Trish leaned past John and hit the '12' button, the heavy elevator doors closed, and the elevator began its journey upwards. A few minutes later, the elevator came to a stop at its destination, and the doors opened. Trish stepped past John and he followed her out of the elevator. She walked down to the end of the hallway and turned left down the next hallway. She walked halfway down the hallway and stopped in front of door '1224.'

She turned to face John, "Ummm… We're here."

"Look, if you don't want to do this, that's okay," he offered. His stomach began to fill with butterflies. He was nervous about being alone with her, but he was more nervous about her saying she didn't want him to come in now.

After a few minutes of silence, she smiled at him. "No, I want you to come in."

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, silently praying to himself that she wouldn't change her mind now.

She nodded. "I'm sure." She reached into her purse and pulled out her room key. She slid the key into the door until the red light on the handle turned green. She pushed down on the door handle and pushed the door open with her hip. "Come in."

John walked past her into the room, and then it dawned on her. _Oh my god! My clothes! They're still all over the floor! I never cleaned them up! You're such an idiot!_ she yelled at herself mentally. "Oh… Uhh… Don't mind clothes all over the floor. I… Uhhh… Was having a hard time deciding on what to wear…" she stammered, her face beginning to flush that all too familiar color red. She scurried passed him and started grabbing the clothes off the floor and started throwing them into the closest drawer.

John grinned at her. "Do you know how incredibly cute you are when you blush like that?"

She blushed an even deeper color of red at his words. She nervously looked down at her feet and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

He chuckled to himself. "So, what do you wanna watch?"

She walked over to the bed and kicked her shoes off. She sat down, reached over to grab the remote, and then turned the TV on. "I have no idea. Do you wanna order a movie or see if we can catch something interesting on regular TV?"

"It doesn't matter to me," he answered, still standing in the same spot.

"You gonna stand there all night? You know you can sit down. I won't bite… hard," she said with a smile. This time it was John's cheeks that flushed a faint red. "You're pretty cute yourself when you blush," she added, chuckling.

John flashed that heart stopping smile she loved so much. "Ahhh, you got jokes I see."

He walked over to the opposite side of the bed. He kicked off his sneakers, and sat down on the bed next to her. He was so close, she could smell his cologne. _He smells so good_. She took a deep breath of his scent in. He was so close to her, she could feel the heat radiate from his body. She felt dizzy, intoxicated by him. She looked over at him and was met by his icy blue eyes. He smiled at her. She returned his smile. He began to close the gap between them, but caught himself and went to turn back away. All of the sudden, Trish leaned into him and lightly brushed her lips against his. John pulled back in surprise. Trish pulled herself up to her knees, wrapped her arms around his neck, and dipped her head to touch her lips to his again. John breathed in her sent deeply. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. She swung her leg over his until she was straddling him. He pulled her down until he was sitting on his lap. His left arm snaked up her back until he reached her hair. He intertwined his fingers in her hair and gave it a light tug. John's tongue met her lips, begging for permission to enter her mouth. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, until her lips parted and he was finally rewarded with what he wanted. His tongue explored her mouth; he took her bottom lip and sucked on it lightly. He was rewarded with a small moan that escaped her lips. She dug her fingers into his strong shoulder blades. He released her bottom lip; she took the opportunity to suck his bottom lip into her mouth. She lightly nibbled on it. John moaned against her lips. He wrapped both of his strong arms around her and stood up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He supported her weight with both hands as he placed one knee on the bed and began to lay her down. He laid her down on the bed, and began to slowly crawl up her. He kissed his way up her jean encased legs; he used his other knee to push open her legs for him. After he had her legs open, he climbed all the way up her until his lips met hers again. He let his lips wonder down her jaw line until he reached her neck. He gently sucked on her neck for a minute, causing a louder moan to escape her lips. She bucked her hips up towards him. He smiled against her neck at her reaction.

"Like that?" he whispered to her."

"Mmmhmm," was all she could get out.

His skillful lips continued kissing and sucking lightly on her neck. He enjoyed the reaction he was eliciting from her. He made his way up to her ear and gently sucked on her earlobe. He was once again rewarded with exactly the reaction he was hoping for. He knew he was driving her crazy. She finally grabbed his face and brought it to hers. She kissed him passionately, searching the depths of his mouth. She gently sucked on his tongue. He rewarded her efforts with a moan of his own. She smiled against his lips for a second, then darted her tongue back into his mouth.

John finally broke their kiss. "I have to stop," he said breathlessly. She looked up at him confused. "If I don't stop now… I'm not going to be able to stop myself."

She blinked, still confused. "Oh… Umm… Okay then, I guess."

"No, no, no. Don't get me wrong. I want to. Believe me… I _want_ to. Just not yet. I don't want you to think this is all I was out for. I worked hard to finally catch your attention, I don't want to rush into this now and fuck it up. Besides, if I hold out… It'll keep you coming back for more," he added with a grin.

Trish laughed. She grabbed a pillow and smacked John in the head with it. He chuckled and rolled off her, grabbing his own pillow, and swatted at her. After a few minutes of channel surfing, they finally found a movie on TV to watch. They pulled the covers up around then and settled into the bed to watch the movie. John put his right arm behind his head and laid back Trish turned around and fixed her pillows. She went to lay back but before she could he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down to him. She laid her head on his chest, and got comfortable to watch the movie.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry to anyone who's been reading for the delay in putting up the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Ughhh," John grumbled, reaching into his pocket to turn his phone alarm off. As he shook the sleep off, he realized where he was. _Oh shit! I must have fallen asleep in her room. _He slowly rolled over to see if she was still sleeping. As he rolled over, he was met with her sapphire blue eyes and a sleepy smile.

"Morning."

"Morning. That was a… a… great movie," he said sarcastically with a grin.

She giggled. "I don't remember any of it. The last thing I remember is lying on your chest, getting all nice and toasty, then… that's it. I was out."

John was starving, but he wasn't quite ready to let the night end. Just then his stomach growled loudly. Trish smiled at him. "Sounds like someone's hungry?"

"Starving."

"How about I go take a shower, you go do whatever you need to, and I'll meet you in the lobby for some breakfast in a half an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan." John got out of the bed. He bent down and picked up his sneakers. He slid on both of his sneakers, and then stood up. He started towards the door. Trish got out of bed and followed him to the door. John opened the door and walked through the door way. He stopped and turned back around to face her.

She stood up on her tippy toes and quickly gave him a peck on the lips.

He smiled, "See you soon?"

"See you soon."

John went to walk away but hesitated. He quickly turned back around to face her. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He dipped his head down until his lips were on hers. His lips were parted; he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. She ran her hands up his chest until her arms were around his neck. He sucked softly on her bottom lip. She moaned against his lips and he took the opportunity and darted his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues danced, fighting for dominance. Her knees started became weak, he held her tighter to his body. He broke the kiss, pulling back to look at her.

"See you soon," he grinned. He released her from his grip, and he turned to head down the hallway back to the elevator. She stood at the door watching him until he turned the corner and she couldn't see him anymore. She closed the door and nearly ran back to her phone. She grabbed it, and went straight to her best friends name and clicked on it to open up a text message screen.

_NATTIE! – T_

_It's 6am and you're up?! Never mind that. I'm on my way up so you can spill everything! – N_

_LOL I don't have time. I promised John I'd meet him downstairs for breakfast in a half an hour. – T_

_You're meeting up with him for breakfast?! :) Ahhhh! I wanna know ALL the details! – N_

_I'll tell you this much… He just left :-D – T_

_OMG WHAT?! I NEED THE FULL STORY! – N_

_We have to catch our flight to NY at 10:30, I'll fill you in then – T_

_I can't wait! – N_

Trish dropped her phone on the bed and ran to the shower. She took an extra fast shower, and got out to get dressed. She decided on a pair of charcoal gray yoga pants and a baby pink tank top. She took the towel off her head and decided to pull her long hair back into a pony tail. She stood there for a minute and debated on putting makeup on or not. She looked at the clock and saw it was already 6:17 and decided she didn't have enough time. She sat down on the edge of the bed, slid on her socks then her sneaker, then slid on her matching gray zip up, grabbed her phone, and headed down to the lobby to meet John.

When the elevator door opened on the lobby floor she stepped out and headed towards the cafeteria where the breakfast buffet was. She looked down the corridor the first thing she saw was John. He was standing out front of the waiting for her. He was looking down the opposite end of the corridor. As she walked towards him, she began to get butterflies. He was wearing a pair of silver mesh basketball shorts, a white t-shirt, and sneakers. _He looks sooo sexy_, she thought. As she got closer, he turned his head and saw her. His face lit up with a big smile.

"There you are," he said as he leaned in to hug her.

"You almost sound surprised."

He looked down at his watch, "Well it is 6:33… I started to get nervous," he said with a smile.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Well I'm sorry Mr. Cena. I won't keep out waiting next time."

"Next time huh? So what you're saying is there's going to be a next time for me? Saaa-weet!"

Trish rolled her eyes and smiled. "I thought you were hungry?"

"Oh no. I'm definitely not hungry, I'm starving."

"Well then let's go."

Trish headed into the cafeteria, John followed in behind her. Trish decided on a toasted poppy-seed bagel topped with strawberry cream cheese. She then went over and grabbed a bowl of fresh chopped strawberries and bananas with a dollop of whipped cream on the top. Then she went and got herself a nice big cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar. John had decided on a plate of pancakes with a side of bacon and toast. He also went and poured himself a big cup of coffee. John gestured for Trish to follow him, and she did. He decided on a smaller four chair table that was situated along the back wall of the cafeteria.

As they walked to the table, they heard a voice call out to them. "Hey, you guys mind if I sit with you?" Randy called to them.

John looked down at Trish. "I don't mind."

"We'll save you a seat," John called back.

John put his tray down at the outside chair facing the entrance. Trish walked around John and scooted past him and sat down on the chair closest to the wall. A few minutes later, Randy joined them and he sat down across from John. The trio ate in silence for a while.

Finally, about halfway through breakfast, Randy couldn't contain himself any longer. "So… How was your night last night Trish?" he asked with a grin. "Fill me in and with _all_ the details. John came back to the room this morning walking on air, so it must have been a _real_ good night."

John's jaw dropped open. "_Dude_… Shut up!" he said kicking Randy under the table.

"I'm just sayin. Judging by the condition you came back to the room in and that hickey on Trish's neck right under her left ear… It was a _good_ night," Randy said with his cocky smile while pointing to Trish's neck with his fork.

A deep red color swept across Trish's face. She put her hand on her neck to cover the mark on her neck that she hadn't noticed because if she did, she would have surely worn her hair down. She quickly pulled the rubber band that secured her ponytail out and shook her head to let the layers of her hair cover her neck.

Randy let out a loud laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen you get that red! Relax. It's not that dark. I'm just overly observant. Besides, it's just another excuse for me to break John's balls. Your blushing is just a bonus."

"You're such an ass Randy," Trish said shaking her head.

"Yes I know this… You wouldn't expect anything less of me. Now quit stalling. Spill it!"

John and Trish passed a look between them. Trish smiled and shook her head but stayed silent. John cleared his throat, "We just… Uhhh… We went back to her room and we watched some TV. We ended up falling asleep at some point until my alarm went off."

"Just watched TV, huh? Is that what these kids are callin' it these days?" Randy asked, his trademark cocky grin spreading across his face.

"Nothing like _that_ happened..."

"Well, I'm about done with breakfast so I'm gonna head back to my room. And get ready to head to the airport, so I'll see you guys later," Trish said. She grabbed her tray and headed towards the trashcan. She dumped her tray off and turned back and gave the two men a wave as she headed out.

* * *

"Ughh… I wish I could take a nap rather than catch this plane," Natalya complained.

Natalya and Trish sat in the uncomfortable chairs in the gate area of the airport while they waited to board their plane. They were flying from Georgia up to New York. They were headed to Buffalo on Monday for Raw followed by Albany on Tuesday for Smackdown.

"Think we have this conversation every time we're in an airport Nattie," Trish said with a laugh. "So that means a lot."

Natalya laughed, "Yeah, I'd have to say that's true."

Tyson and Randy walked over to the girls. "We're all checked in. We just have to wait for them to call us for boarding," Tyson informed the girls.

"Thanks Tyson, you're the best," Trish said.

"So let's go. You never filled me in on your night with John. Spill it girl."

Trish smiled. "It was a really good night. We went back to my room, hung out, and watched TV."

"_Annndddd_?"

"_Annndddd_ what?" Trish teased grinning.

"Annndddd out with the rest. I wanna hear the events that lead you to that hickey on your neck."

"How do you know about that? I've had my hair down since Ra… Randy. Damn it Orton!"

Natalya chuckled, "Yeah. Randy was teasing John about it after breakfast this morning and Tyson heard. I mean it's not like you can't not hear Randy's big mouth."

"Well… Umm… We kissed."

"Mhmm… I'm listening."

Trish smiled a little, mentally reliving the events of last night. "We kissed… A lot. More like we made out. But we didn't have sex. Just kissing. Then we laid down to watch a movie on TV and ended up falling asleep."

"Oh my god! That's soooo awesome! But wait a minute. Why no sex?"

"Things were getting pretty heated and he stopped it."

"Uh what the hell for?"

"He said he definitely wanted to, but not yet. He said that's not all he was in this for and he didn't want me to think I was. And he said if he stopped, it would keep me coming back for more," Trish added with a laugh.

"That definitely sounds like something John would say! I'm _soooo_ happy. So where does this leave you two?"

Trish hesitated a minute. "I don't know. We really didn't talk about that."

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I would like to," Trish answered.

"So does this mean you like him?" Natalya asked with a smile.

"Yeah… I always did. I'm not blind. He's sexy as hell and he's great to be around. He's funny, and I always have a good time when I'm around him."

"Then why the hell did you fight it for so long?"

"Because… I guess because of the whole AJ thing, not wanting to deal with the drama she causes, and being afraid to get hurt again," she answered, looking at the ground.

"And now you're not afraid to get hurt? Or to deal with AJ?"

"Of course I'm still scared. I'm scared to death. And I don't _want_ to deal with the pint-sized crazy chick, but if I have to… Then I have to. I can't fight it anymore… I don't _want_ to fight it anymore."

"Oh my god! I can't tell you how happy you just made me! You're gonna be perfect together, I've been telling you this all along!" Natalya squealed.

Trish just smiled at her overly excited friend and shook her head. She was finally tired of fighting her feelings. She knew they were there all along. That's part of the reason why she tried to avoid him for as long as she did, but she couldn't do it anymore. She _didn't_ want to. So she decided was just going to let it ride, see what fate had in store for them and just hope she didn't get hurt. Their conversation was broken up by the sound of people arguing loudly. Trish looked up to see John walking towards the gate being followed closely behind by AJ. John's face was red with anger.

"AJ, drop it. I don't have time for this shit today."

"No I won't drop it! I want an explanation and I want it now damn it!"

"No."

"You owe me a damn explanation, John!" AJ shouted.

"I don't _owe_ you anything," John snapped through gritted teeth. "It's none of your business!"

"You're such an asshole John!" AJ growled. "I can't believe you would do something like that to me! I was so worried about you when I couldn't find you. And you wouldn't answer your phone when I called and texted you, then come to find out you spent the night out with _her_!" AJ spat. "I don't know how you could betray me like that!" Then turned and stormed off towards the main concourse of the airport.

John looked around and saw that all eyes were on him. He didn't care, he was furious. _Who the hell does she think she is? I don't owe her a god damn thing. What I do is my business! It's none of her business anyway! I don't need to answer to her! How many damn times to I have to tell her, we're not together, never were and never will be!_ He thought angrily. He scanned the room, looking for a seat, and then his eyes came to meet Trish's. The features on his face automatically began to soften. He tried to read the emotions on her face, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. John immediately headed straight for her. As he walked over to her, Natalya got up and mumbled something about having to go to the bathroom.

"Hey," he said quietly as he sat down next to her.

"Hey," she answered softly.

"Umm… So I'm guessing you're wondering what that was all about?" he asked running his hands over his short hair.

"I'm sure I could figure it out…" she trailed off.

"She's nuts. Absolutely crazy. There's no other way to explain it."

"Well there is…"

John's eyes shot quickly to hers. "How's that?"

"That you're actually dating her, which would make it perfectly acceptable for her to be mad that you spent the night with me last night…"

John's features turned hard with anger. He took a deep breath in, and exhaled it slowly before he spoke. He didn't want to lose his temper with her. "I'm not _with_ her. You already know that. I wouldn't…"

There was a long silence between them. Finally Randy walked over to John and handed him his plane ticket. "Here ya go man. I checked you in when I got here, so you should be boarding with us early." Randy gave his friend a sympathetic pat on the shoulder then walked back over to his seat.

After what seemed like forever, the flight attendant finally called for group A to get ready to board the plane. Trish, John, Randy, Natalya, Tyson, Kaitlyn, and Mike all stood up and grabbed their carry-on bags and headed to the line.

Natalya came up behind John silently and grabbed his arm. "Hey, why don't you sit next Trish and I'll sit next to Tyson? Maybe try and talk to her?"

John nodded his head. "Thanks even though I don't think she really wants to talk to me now."

Natalya gave him a reassuring smile, and dropped back into the line with Tyson. John turned to look for Trish, but she had gotten ahead of him. She was already handing her ticket to the flight attendant at the gate. John was three people behind her. He patiently waited his turn, and finally got onto the plane. He scanned the seats looking for her. He finally found her. She was sitting in her seat next to the window with her ear buds in her ears listening to her iPod. Randy was walking towards her, but he decided on the seat in front of her rather than next to her. John hurried down the narrow aisle and stopped when he got to her.

"Is this seat taken?"

She pulled her ear bud out and looked at him. "No."

"Are you going to be mad at me if I sit there?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

John stuffed his carry-on into the overhead compartment. He sat down and put his seat belt on. "Are you gonna one word me for the entire flight."

"No."

"Ah, you're just not going to talk to me at all the entire flight?"

"I'm talking to you."

"Fair enough."

After what seemed like forever, the captain finally came over the loud speaker and informed them they were now going to take off. Trish sat in silence, listening to her iPod for most of the flight. Randy was snoring softly in the seat in front of them, Mike and Kaitlyn were doing word searches together, and Natalya and Tyson were in what seemed like a deep conversation. She had her head resting on Tyson's shoulder.

"Trish, you believe me right?" John asked, finally breaking the silence.

She pulled her ear bud out, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you if you believed me," he repeated as he took hold of her hand. "God I hope you do. I just finally got you to give me a chance; I don't want my chance killed over this… This bullshit from AJ." The features on his face were soft; he had an almost pleading look in his eyes.

Trish hesitated, taking his words into consideration. Something in his eyes told her to believe him. "I believe you John."

A smile spread across his lips. "Good," he said simply. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh get a room you two," Randy teased from the seat in front of them.

"Don't hate on me bro."

Randy chuckled. "I'm not."

Everything was right in his world again. AJ's stupid little stunt didn't destroy what he was working so hard to get. The rest of the flight was silent. Trish went back to playing on her iPod and John pulled out his phone and started playing games on it. At some point Trish had fallen asleep and her head had slid down the chair until it came to rest on his shoulder.

Randy turned around to face John. "Dude, I'm happy for you. It looks like you might finally be getting what you were hoping for. You worked hard for it. You deserve it."

"Thanks Randy."

"But don't think this means I'm going to stop breaking your balls about it," Randy added with a grin.

John chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

AJ sat in the back of the plane seething. "If he thinks this is going to be the end of me, the end of us… He's got another thing coming. AJ always gets what she wants. This is _far_ from over…"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks to My Time Is Now for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :)Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

After they landed, they went and claimed their baggage, and went on to pick up the rental cars. Kaitlyn went to ride with Mike as usual. The rest of the group went and piled in to their Envoy XL, the only difference this time was Randy had offered to drive. About 20 minutes later, Randy pulled into the hotel parking lot. He quickly found a spot and parked the car. They all got out, grabbed their bags, and headed into the hotel to check in. After getting their room cards, then headed for the elevator. Trish hit the up arrow and they waited for the elevator door to open. They filed into the big elevator and Mike hit the 5 button. A short ride later, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. They filed out of the elevator. Tyson and Natalya headed left down to their room 535. Mike and Kaitlyn also headed left to their room 540. Trish headed right to her room 505, and Randy and John also headed right to their room. Room 507 which was across the hall from Trish's room.

Randy put his key card in the door slot and waited for the light on the door to turn green. When it did he pushed the handle down and pushed the door open. He stopped in the doorway, "Hey John… Why don't you just cut the middle man out and go across the hall now?"

Trish smiled and shook her head. "See you later, boys," and headed into her room. She walked down the short hallway into the room and dropped her bags on the floor. She debated on whether or not to unpack and put her things in the drawers, but decided against it. She wasn't going to be there long anyway. Only until tomorrow. She walked over to the bed, kicked off her shoes and flopped down on it. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Some talk show was on; she left it on, and soon after drifted to sleep.

The sound of her phone signaling a text message finally woke her up. She rolled over still half asleep to reach on the nightstand for her phone. _What time is it_, she thought. She hit the home screen on her phone to see the time. _Damn, 6:00 already? I can't believe I slept that long_. She moved her finger to click on the text envelope. It popped open, and it was a message from John.

_Interested in grabbing a bite to eat with me? – J_

She smiled at her phone.

_I just woke up. I'm starving. What did you have in mind? – T  
Anything that involved spending time with you – J_

Her smile grew wider with John's last message.

_Hmm… How about you come over here and we order some room service? I don't really feel like going anywhere – T  
That sounds perfect to me – J  
Okay. Let me jump in the shower real quick. I'll text you when I'm done? – T  
I mean… Unless you need help with your shower because if you did, I'd definitely be willing to lend you a hand :) – J  
Sounds like you need a shower yourself… A cold shower ;) – T  
Can't blame a guy for tryin! Hurry and shower. I'll be waiting – J_

She smiled to herself as she made her way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, and then hopped out. She wrapped her wet hair up in a towel, and dried off with another. She wrapped the towel around her body then walked out of the bathroom to find something to put on. She dug through her bag and decided on a light yellow cotton shorts and a white spaghetti strap tank top. She took the towel from her head and used it to dry off her hair a bit. She grabbed her brush and combed the knots out. She decided to leave her hair down until it dried a bit more at least. She went over to the bed and sat down. She picked up her phone to let John know she was ready now.

_Hey. I'm ready now if you are – T  
On my way – J_

Seconds later, there was a knock at her door. She got up to let him in. She pulled the door open and greeted him with a smile. "Hey."

"Hey," he said as he pulled her in close to him and hugged her tight.

"Come in," she said, stepping aside so he could enter.

John smiled and walked in. She closed the door and followed him down the short hallway into the room. She took the opportunity to check him out. He was wearing a pair of black mesh basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. _His ass in those shorts is amazing_, she thought to herself. He walked over to the bed, kicked off his sneakers, and plopped down. He leaned back and supported his weight on his elbow. Trish walked over to the other side and climbed in next to him. Within seconds of John sitting down, his phone went off. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out. He clicked on the text message envelope, read the message, and laughed out loud.

"Something funny?" she asked.

"Yeah, I got a funny text message," he said with a chuckle. He turned his phone to face her so she could read it.

_Enjoy yourself but remember… Gentle on the neck. She bruises easy – R_

"He's such an ass," she said with a chuckle.

His phone went off again. John read it and laughed even harder this time. He turned his phone again to face her so she could see it.

_… Unless she's into that sort of thing. Then don't be gentle. That's what long hair and cover-up is for – R_

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Randy," she said shaking her head as a big smile spread across her face.

"Do you know how incredibly sexy I think it is when you smile like that?" John asked leaning in towards her.

"No," she answered softly, as her heartbeat began to race.

"Very," he responded as he leaned closer until his lips met hers. He sucked gently on her bottom lip. A soft moan escaped her lips. He then ran his tongue along her bottom lip seeking access to her mouth. She parted her lips slightly and John's tongue found his way into her mouth. Their tongues wrestled for a few moments before John pulled away breathless. He smiled at her and placed a soft peck on her full lips. "Let's order dinner before I loose control and say to hell with dinner."

She smiled. "Loose control?"

"You do something to me that I can't even begin to explain. Everything about you… Dives me crazy…"

"So I drive you crazy?" she asked with a lopsided grin. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or be offended by it."

"Crazy in a good way," he answered with a chuckle.

"I didn't know there was a 'good' crazy," she teased.

"So maybe 'crazy' was a bad choice of words…" he said with a smirk. "You turn me on so bad, it's unbelievable, and it's _so_ hard to stop myself."

"So why stop yourself?" she asked softly.

"It's not easy… believe me. It's just… Like I told you the other day, that's not what I'm all about. That's not what I want _this_ to be all about."

"Well… If it makes you feel any better… It's not easy for me either…"

"Really?"

She chuckled softly, "Yes really. Why do you sound so surprised about that?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I guess with the rocky start we had, you know… With you dodging me every chance you had. I guess I'm still getting used to the idea that maybe, just maybe you don't really hate me."

"Did you really think I hated you?" she asked softly deflecting her eyes from his, staring at a spot on comforter.

"Yeah. I did."

She winced at his honestly. Her stomach began to twist with guilt. It was never her intention to make him feel that way, and now knowing she had made her feel terrible. "John, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel like that. I just…"

"It's okay. That's in the past now."

"I feel terrible that I made you feel that way. It was never my intention. I…"

John reached over and took her hand in his. He traced a circle in the palm of her hand. "I know. Nattie told me. Just know I'm not Jason. I'm not like them, Trish. I won't do that to you." Trish didn't say anything; she kept her eyes locked on the comforter. "I promise." She still remained silent and just nodded her head. After a brief silence, John's stomach growled, "Let's order dinner. I'm starving!"

Trish chuckled. "So I hear. What do you want to eat?" thankful that conversation was over.

"Food?"

Trish made a face at him. "Well that's helpful."

"Pizza? There's this place I always get pizza from every time I come here."

"Pizza sounds good to me."

"Awesome. What do you want on it?"

"Cheese? Pepperoni? I'm not really picky."

"Pepperoni," he decided. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number. He ordered the pizza, and then hung up. "They said twenty minutes. That gives me plenty of time to go down to the lobby and get us drinks."

"I'll come with you. Just let me throw some pants on," she said getting up and walked over towards her bag and pulled out a pair of sweatpants.

"Awh…" John pouted. "Don't get dressed," he whined, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Don't worry, I'll take them off when we come back," she said with a laugh.

"Promise?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's go Cena," she said still chuckling as she pushed him towards the door.

They got into the elevator and John hit the 'L' button for the lobby. A few seconds later, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. They walked out and headed towards the cafeteria together. They stopped at the vending machine and John got himself a fruit punch Gatorade and got one for Trish as well. John looked at his phone to check the time. It was just about time for the pizza to get there, so they headed towards the lobby door to wait for the pizza delivery driver. As they got to the door, the delivery driver was pulling up. John walked outside to get the pizza and pay the driver. He got the pizza and came back in. They went back up to Trish's room, ate dinner, watched TV and had great conversation for the rest of the night. At about 3:30am Trish was starting to nod off.

"You're falling asleep. So I'll… Umm… I guess I'll go so you can go to sleep."

Trish gave him a sleepy smile. "Or you could stay?"

"Only if you want me to," he answered as he silently hoped her mind didn't change.

"I'd like it if you did, but if you don't want to I understand."

"I'll stay," he said with a smile. He got up from the bed and took his socks off then he took his t-shirt off, then he climbed back in bed with her.

She took in the gorgeous man that stood in front of her. _Yeah… Sleep is what I want to do now. I've got a sexy half naked man in my bed and I offer to go to sleep with him_, she thought to herself. She rolled over to her side and turned off the light. She pulled the blankets up around her and got comfortable.

Just as she started dozing off she felt John move next to her. He scooted closer to her until she could feel the warmth coming from his body. He scooted again until she could feel his body pressed up against hers. He slid his arm over her and pulled her to him. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. "Good night Trish."

"Good night John."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I got a bit a head of myself and ended up getting two chapters done today, so here it is. Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

They had slept far later than they wanted to. It was well after 2pm when they finally woke up. John hadn't set his alarm nor did Trish. Surprisingly, none of their friends had called to see where they were either. John was awake first. He wasn't sure if Trish was awake yet, he didn't want to wake her if she wasn't; and he definitely didn't want to leave where he was right now. He laid there silently, he breathed in the sent of her hair. _She smells so good. Her hair smells like flowers_, he thought to himself. He took his thumb and started to stroke her arm. Her body stiffened against him as she reached up and stretched.

He sat up a little and supported his weight on his elbow. He leaned in slightly to see her face. He smiled when he saw she was awake. "Good morning."

She rolled slightly to face him. She smiled back at him. "Good morning."

"Well… After noon if you want to get technical."

"Afternoon? What time is it?"

"2:18."

"2:18?" she asked surprised.

"Yep," he answered with a chuckle.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I… We… slept that late. No one even called to see where we were or anything."

"I think Randy might have had something to do with that."

Trish smiled. "Ahhh yes… Orton. Must be Orton's handy work." She sighed, "As much as I don't want to, I guess it's time to get out of bed. We have to get packed and get to the arena for 5:00 check in."

"Staying here with you sounds like a better plan to me," he said flopping himself back on the pillows.

She grinned at him. "As nice as that would be, we can't. Let's go Cena. Up and at 'em. Hopefully catering will have something good to eat tonight. I doesn't look like I'm gonna have time to shower, pack up, work out and get there all before check in."

John reluctantly threw the covers off and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He bent down and grabbed his socks. He slid his socks on then slid his sneakers on. He let out a loud sigh and stood up. He walked over to his t-shirt that was in a ball on the floor. He picked it up and put it on. "I still think my plan was a better idea, you know?"

She giggled and got out of bed. She walked over to him and started pushing him towards the door. "Let's go slow poke."

He grumbled under his breath as he trudged towards the door, playfully pushing back against her. When he reached the door, he pulled to open, and then turned back around to face her. "Seems like you're in a rush to get rid of me today. Got a hot date that I don't know about?"

"Yes, actually I do."

John's face went from playful to surprise quickly. "Huh?"

Trish giggled at him. "I have a very hot date with my shower and you're delaying my date."

John took her by surprise when he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He quickly placed his lips on hers. She automatically parted her lips and his tongue was in hers. Their tongues intertwined in a passionate kiss. He could feel her legs start to give, and he gripped her tighter. He broke their kiss, and looked down at her. "Guess I should let you get to your date."

"Oh… Umm… Yeah… Uh… Right," she managed to stammer.

"I like doing that to you," he said with a smirk as he started towards his room.

She watched him until he disappeared into his room across the hall, then she shut the door. She went over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone. She sent Natalya a text.

_Hey. What are you doing? –T  
Hey girl! Another night with John I heard? How'd it go?! – N  
Where are you? – T  
We left. Mike left the keys to the car he had in Randy and John's room so John could drive you guys to the arena. We weren't sure when you two lovebirds were going to join us, and we didn't want to wake you – N  
We just woke up about a half an hour ago – T  
Must have been a looooonnnggg night ;) – N  
Shut up Nattie! Nothing like that happened – T  
What the hell are you waiting for? – N  
The right time I guess. He said he doesn't want to rush into that – T  
Screw not rushing it and do it already! – N  
LOL you're a mess! I'm gonna get my ass in gear and get showered so I can get there on time. Traffic in NY is gonna suck! I'll see you when I get there – T_

Just as she went to put her phone down, it went off again in her hand. It was a message from John.

_They left us. I have Mike's car. I'm going to get in the shower. Just so you know I'm jealous of your hot date. Let me know when you're ready and we'll go – J  
Just so you know I don't like my hot date as much as I do you. I'll let you know as soon as I'm done – T_

John blinked hard at his phone and read and reread her last message. _Maybe I finally did win her over_, he smiled to himself. _Now I just gotta keep her. _

* * *

John and Trish spent the car ride laughing and talking. Traffic was usual New York traffic. Lots of it and slow-moving. It was 4:40 when John pulled into the arena parking lot. They got out of the car, John popped the trunk, and they went and grabbed the bags that they'd need. John shut the trunk, and they headed towards the security guards who stood at the wrestler's entrance. They pulled their passes out and showed them to the guard. He motioned for them to proceed into the arena. After they got inside, they had to go their separate ways. John stopped before heading towards the men's locker rooms. He slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. "See you in a little bit?"

She blushed when he kissed her because there were other wrestlers and crew walking around the backstage area. Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, voiced his opinion. "Aww how cute is that? You finally broke her down Cena! How about that!" he teased with a sly smile.

"Shut it Punk!" he yelled to Phil.

"Come on man! Did you really think I'd pass on the opportunity to break your balls? Especially when it has to do with Trish. I mean seriously, we've had to listen to you go on and on for how long now about how…"

"Dude, shut the fuck up!" John's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Okay, okay… I guess I'll shut up. But I don't understand why you wouldn't want me to tell her…" John shot Phil a look. "Okay, I'm done now. Nice to see you Trish," Phil said with his devilish grin.

"Nice to see you too Phil," she said with a small wave. "See you later," she whispered to John as she quickly turned and headed towards the women's locker room.

"Dude, I can't believe you put me out there like that! You totally threw me under the bus in front of her!" John chided Phil.

Phil laughed. "I know. I couldn't help myself. I was pretty surprised when I saw you two walk in together and even more surprised when you kissed her."

"Not cool bro. Not cool at all."

"So, did you finally talk her into dating you or what?" Phil asked John as they walked towards the locker room.

"Nothing official. We're just spending some time with each other I guess, but I did get her to stop running from me every time she saw me."

Phil laughed, "Well that's a plus."

"It definitely is."

* * *

Just as Trish reached the women's locker room, she heard an unfortunately familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey! Wait up! I want to talk to you!"

_Fuck not her right now_, she thought rolling her eyes. She knew that squeaky annoying voice anywhere. "What AJ?" she answered impatiently as she turned to face the smaller woman.

"I don't think you're the one who should be getting an attitude. I think if anyone has the right to get an attitude, I would say it would be me."

"And why is that?"

"A woman who finds out her _boyfriend_ spent not one but two nights with another woman most definitely has every right to get an attitude with the _home wrecker_ who's trying to take what's hers," AJ said with venom to her voice.

"He's not yours AJ."

"Yes he is!" AJ shouted.

"If I'm a home wrecker, _trying_ to take what's yours… It wasn't difficult to do. And for your information, I'm not _trying_ to take him from you; he's not yours to begin with."

As Trish and AJ were going back and forth, Natalya came out of the locker room. She walked up behind Trish and put her hand on her best friends back. "Everything okay?" she asked concerned.

"It _was_ until this home wrecking whore decided to put her nose in _my_ business and try to take what's _mine_. I know she's jealous of me and what I have, but this is just pathetic. Even for _her_ to spend two nights with someone else's boyfriend. That's appalling!"

Natalya lunged at AJ, causing AJ to jump back in shock. Trish grabbed hold of Natalya before she could get to her. "No! You want to know what's appalling? I'll tell you what's appalling, _you_ having the nerve to come up to Trish and pop off at the mouth this bullshit! _You're_ the pathetic one. You _know_ you and John _aren't_ together! You _never_ were! You _never_ will be as a matter of fact! You need to grow your little ass up and stop the games. Just because _you_ want him doesn't make him _yours_! If he wanted _you_, or really was with _you_ for that matter, he would have been with _you_ and _not_ Trish the last two nights!" Natalya's face flushed red in anger as she lashed out at AJ. "Quit meddling in his life and leave my best friend the hell alone!"

Trish pushed Natalya towards the locker room. She grabbed a hold of the handle and pulled it open and pushed her again. "Don't worry about her Nattie. She's not worth your time or getting your blood pressure up."

Natalya walked into the locker room like her friend asked her to. Trish turned to follow her in as well.

"Do yourself a favor and stay the hell away from my man. I'm warning you," AJ threatened, pointing her finger at her. "This is the last time I'm going warn you. Next time, I won't be so nice."

"I think you need to go take one of your crazy pills, AJ," Trish shot back as she disappeared into the locker room.

AJ stood there fuming. "How dare her! Who the hell does she think she is? She's not going to take what's mine. John is mine. She wants to go this route? That's fine. She'll see. I'll show her! I'll show her he's mine! She wants to call me crazy? Then I'm going to show her crazy."She glowered to herself. She spun on her left heal and disappeared down the hallway.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but it needs to be. You'll understand why later ;) Thanks again to My Time Is Now for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"You should have let me get that little twit," Natalya yelled, still pacing angrily back and forth through the locker room.

"Don't let her get under your skin. I don't anymore. I know what John told me. She can say whatever she wants. I don't care. You told me I can't avoid him and my feelings forever, and you were right. You told me I can't be afraid to get hurt forever, and you were right about that. I can't. So I pushed my fears aside, and I'm just going with it. I'm just going to see what happens. And so far, I like what's happening," she added with a smile.

Natalya stopped pacing and looked at her friend. Her angry features softened and a smile spread across her lips. I'm happy for you and I'm happy for him. I'm glad you took my advice and gave him a chance. I kept telling you that you two would be good for each other. But her… I can't stand her. And for her to have the nerve to come up to you and run her mouth like that, no I'm not okay with that!"

"What's going on?" Kaitlyn asked as she walked into the locker room. She had a look of concern on her face.

"That little... little..." Natalya struggled to find the explicative she was looking for.

"AJ," Trish answered.

"That's definitely not the word I was looking for," Natalya said, looking at Trish.

"What about her?" Kaitlyn pressed for more information.

"She..." Trish began.

Natalya cut Trish off. "She had the nerve to come up to Trish and call her a 'home wrecking whore' and went on to say how she was with John and she couldn't believe she had _'the nerve'_ to spend the last to nights with _'her'_ man," as she began to pace again.

"She did what?!"

"Yeah she's got a lot of fuckin nerve! She's so lucky you grabbed a hold of me, because if I would have gotten my hands on her…" Natalya spat.

"Did you punch her in her damn mouth?" Kaitlyn asked looking at Trish.

"No. She's not even worth the aggravation."

"If she came up to me running her mouth like that to me she would have gotten a mouthful of my fist, that's for sure!" Kaitlyn said. "Shit, just listening to this makes me wanna punch her in the mouth!"

"Calm down ladies," Trish said with a chuckle. "It's not that big of a deal. It's just words. Let her say whatever she wants…"

Natalya cut Trish off again. "Hell no! I'm not going to let her say whatever she wants!"

Trish laughed. "Look… I'm not worried about her right now, but if she keeps her shit up, I'll eventually get tired of listening to her…"

Natalya cut her off once more. "… and then you'll punch her in the mouth? Or better yet, let me punch her in the mouth?"

Trish shook her head and laughed at her friend. "Yes, I'll punch her in the mouth. But let's stop this conversation. She's taking up far too much of our time right now. We have better things to do and talk about, so let me just get changed into my ring gear then let's go get something to eat, I'm starving. I haven't had a chance to eat anything yet since I woke up so late."

Kaitlyn grinned. "Yeah, a little birdie told me something about you spending the night with John last nigh and I believe you owe me a whole lot of details!"

As Trish got changed, she filled Kaitlyn in on her 'developing story' as they called it. And she filled them both in on her activities from the night before and this afternoon. She went through hair and makeup and she was finally ready and not a minute too soon. She was beyond starving now. She couldn't care less what catering had; all she cared about was eating something... Anything.

"Let's go to catering. I'm starving!" Trish's said.

The three girls made their way down the hallways of the arena. As they were walking they bumped into Alicia Fox, who was texting on her phone as they approached her. Alicia stopped the girls and they all chatted for a few seconds. Alicia's phone went off, so the trio waved bye to her and went on their way towards catering. They made a right turn at the end of the corridor and they were met by the sight of John and AJ in the middle of a kiss.

Trish gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. She stood there in stunned silence, blinking back tears that threatened to spill over. John pushed AJ away and turned to look at Trish, his eyes were wild with surprise. "Trish! I can explain!"

AJ stood there with a mile wide grin on her face. "I told you he was mine! You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you and definitely shouldn't touch things that belong to me, home wrecker!" she said still holding on to John's hand.

Her eyes welled with tears and she took two steps backwards. He took a step towards her and she put her hand up to stop him, shaking her head 'no'.

"Please, let me explain," he pleaded.

A stray tear streamed down her cheek. "Don't," was all she could muster out. She took another step back, then quickly turned and ran back towards the woman's locker room.

"Trish! Wait! Please!" he called after her. Natalya and Kaitlyn stood there in shocked silence. John tuned to look at them. "Please let me explain," he pleaded to them.

"I can't believe you would do this to her John. After everything that happened… After everything I told you! After everything _you_ said! She's my best friend John! I co-signed for you. You begged me to talk to her for you and I told her she should give you the chance! I believed you when you told me you wouldn't hurt her. And you lied! You lied to me, but more importantly, you lied to her! You turned out to be everything you promised her you weren't! You promised you wouldn't hurt her!" Natalya yelled angrily at him.

"Just... Hear me out."

"Screw you John! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuse! So save your lies! I have a friend I need to go comfort because of you!" Natalya turned to go find her friend.

"That's pretty low John," Kaitlyn said quietly.

"I…" John began.

Kaitlyn put her hand up to stop him. "You went through all that trouble to try to get her, only to do this to her anyway? I hope you feel good about yourself now. You played us… You played her. Congrats on that," She said shaking her head in disgust him as she turned and walked away from him.


	11. Chapter 11

******A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thanks to anyone who's been reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

John snapped his attention back to AJ as he ripped his hand away from her. She was standing there with a smug look on her face. "What the fuck AJ?"

"What baby?" she asked coyly.

"Don't fuckin baby me! Why the fuck did you kiss me like that? You kissed me like you knew Trish was coming." John stopped for a minute. Everything made sense. "That's because you knew she was coming, didn't you?" he shouted angrily. "You fucking knew she was coming, didn't you? You did it on purpose so she would see it!" he shouted angrily.

The corners of AJ's lips twisted into an evil smile. "I don't know what you're talking about baby. It's perfectly normal for a girl to give her man a kiss whenever she wants to, no matter who happens to be walking by."

"I'm not your man, AJ!"

"Johnny, when are you going to learn? You _are_ my man. I want you, and I _always_ get what I want," she said with a seductive smile. She stepped towards him and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

Rage now cursed through John's body. He took her arms and unwound them from around his neck, giving her a slight shove back from him. The features of his face grew hard, his jaw tightened; he had pure fire in his icy blue eyes. "Why would you do that to me?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"Why wouldn't I baby? You're mine and she's got to learn on way or another to stay away from things that are mine. And she's going to learn, I _always_ get what I want."

"You don't _have_ me, you've _never_ had me, and you're _never_ going to get me… ever. Period. End of story. I don't know how many other ways to tell you, AJ!"

"Well after what she just saw, it doesn't look like she wants anything to do with you anymore anyway!"

"Go fuck yourself AJ," John turned and stormed away.

AJ watched John disappear down the corridor and nodded to herself in approval. She was happy with the way her evil little plan had played out. She was equally as happy about the reaction from Trish when she saw them kissing. She didn't quite get the reaction out of John she had hoped for, but she knew that didn't matter. She knew he would eventually calm down, and they would be happy. Yes… Together and happy… Just like she wanted.

* * *

John kicked open the locker room door and stormed in. He was still full of anger. His jaw was still clenched shut; his hands were tightly wound into balls at his sides. He paced the locker room for a minute trying to figure out what to do. He sat down on a chair and ran his hands over his short hair and let out an exasperated sigh.

Randy looked up from his paper. "You okay man?"

"No, I'm not fuckin okay," he barked.

"No need to bite my head off jackass."

John sighed again. "Sorry."

"What's wrong?"

"AJ," John snapped.

"What about AJ?"

"She fuckin ran into me in the hallway. She cornered me, telling me she had something extremely important to tell me. She said it was about Trish, so my stupid ass stopped. She started going on about something, I couldn't even tell you what, then the next thing I knew, she grabbed my face and kissed me. At that exact moment, Trish turned the corner with Natalya and Kaitlyn. So needless to say, Trish took off. She wouldn't even listen to my explanation. AJ fuckin set me up! Then if that wasn't bad enough, she starts popping off at the mouth about how I was hers and blah blah blah…" John got up again and kicked a metal folding chair across the room in anger. It made a loud crash as it landed on the floor.

"No fucking way dude! Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Wow. I don't even know what to say. I knew she was conniving, but this really takes the cake."

He leaned against the cool concrete wall of the locker room. It felt good against his warm skin. He slid down the wall until he came to a rest on the floor. "The look on Trish's face… In her eyes… The tears… It killed me," he said softly. She wanted no parts of anything I had to say. Even Natalya and Kaitlyn wouldn't hear it."

"So you didn't talk to her?"

"No… I doubt neither Natalya nor Kaitlyn would even let me anywhere near her right now."

"Text her? She may not answer you, but at least you can tell her what happened and she'll read it," Randy offered softly.

John sighed and reached over for his phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found her name. He clicked on her name and the box popped up for a text message. He sat there staring at the blank screen, not sure how to start.

_I know you don't want to talk to me right now, but please hear me out. It's not what you think. I'd rather explain face to face rather than over the phone – J_

He sat there with his phone in his hand waiting for a response. There wasn't one. Half an hour passed, then an hour, and still nothing. He put his phone down to go wrestle in his match for the night. He left his phone in Randy's care, asking him to respond to her if she were to text him back. As soon as his match was over, he hurried to the back and straight to the locker room where Randy sat with John's phone on his lap. He looked at Randy with the question in his eyes. Randy knew what the question was; he shook his head 'no' to his friend. John's face deflated, and he slumped down into a chair.

"Maybe try the locker room?" Randy offered softly. "Can't hurt to try, right? At least this way she'll know you at least made the effort," he said with a sympathetic smile.

John picked himself up off the chair and headed out of the locker room. He navigated his way through the hallways of the arena towards the women's locker room. His stomach started twisting itself into knots the closer he got. He reached the door and raised his hand to knock. He hesitated for a minute, and then knocked. He stood there nervously waiting. A few minutes later, the locker room door slowly opened, and Natalya stepped out.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I want to explain myself to Trish."

"There's really nothing to explain at this point. It's pretty self explanatory. We saw it with our own eyes. You're an ass! You're just like the rest of them! You're everything you claimed you weren't and you did everything you claimed you wouldn't! I can't believe you'd do that to her after all the effort you put out to try and get her to give you a shot in the first place! After all the conversations we had about it. You hurt my best friend John and I let you! I can't believe I even trusted you!" Natalya spat, the anger growing in her voice.

"You got it wrong. It's not what it looked like."

"Yeah… AJ's tongue down your throat. That's not what it looked like, sure. It was exactly what it looked like John!"

"No it wasn't. AJ set me up! I was headed from the locker room to get something to eat and I ran into her on my way. She started talking but I ignored her. She said she needed to talk to me, that it was something important about Trish, so I stopped. That's the only reason I stopped, because she said it was about Trish. Alicia was with her and when AJ got me to stop, Alicia continued on her way. AJ must have known that you guys were coming, and she grabbed me and kissed me. She did it because she knew you were coming… Trish was coming. She did it because she knew Trish would see it."

Natalya was silent for a few minutes, trying to digest everything John had just said. "Really John? That's the best story you could come up with?" she scoffed.

"It's not a story, it's the truth."

"That sounds just a little too convenient. I know what I saw."

"It's the truth Natalya. I swear. Can you please just get Trish? I want to explain myself to her. I tried to text her but she didn't answer, and I'd rather not have this conversation face to face rather than through text."

Natalya was still bouncing around ideas in her head. _Was he telling the truth? Was he lying?_ _He had to be. That story was bullshit. I know what I saw. They were kissing. AJ's arms were wrapped around his neck._ She was so distracted with her own thoughts; she didn't hear John at first.

"Please ask her to come out here and talk to me?" he asked again.

"She's not here. Her match against Layla got cancelled because Layla hurt her back. She got herself a rental car and left for Albany. She said she just wanted to be alone right now." Natalya wasn't really sure what to believe now. She knew what she saw, but the look in John's eyes looked so sincere. Was he really _that_ good of a liar?

"Damn it!" John turned and punched the wall in anger. He ran his hands through his short hair and let out an exasperated sigh. He headed back towards the men's locker room.

Natalya stood there replaying the conversation over again in her head. She couldn't be wrong. She saw it with her own eyes. AJ's arms were wrapped around John's neck, AJ's tongue was down John's throat, and there was no mistaking that, right?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**** Thanks again to My Time Is Now for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

At 8am the alarm went off. Trish rolled over to turn it off. She set the hotel alarm clock rather than her phone alarm because she decided to put her phone on silent. She didn't feel like being bothered by anyone, and she wasn't in the mood for conversation. She opened her eyes and rubbed them. They were sore and puffy from all the crying she'd done the night before. She looked at her phone, debating on whether she wanted to even bother to look at it. She decided against it and opted for taking a long, hot shower. She pushed the blankets back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a minute and sighed. She felt like she had been hit by a bus. Every inch of her body ached and she had a killer headache to boot.

She slid off the corner of the bed and trudged towards the bathroom. She pulled back the shower curtain slightly and turned the water on to let it run for a few minutes before she got in. She wanted the water to be as hot as she could possibly get it. When steam started to fill the bathroom, she decided the water would be hot enough to get in. She stripped off the shorts and t-shirt she had worn to bed, and gingerly stepped into the shower. She eased her way under the water until her body was fully adjusted to the temperature. She stood there and let the steaming hot water run down her neck and back. It felt good to her. She stayed in the shower for a long time, much longer as usual. When the water temperature finally started to cool, she decided it would be a good idea to quickly finish her shower before her shower turned to an ice shower. She quickly shampooed her hair and rinsed it out. She put on conditioner, and then moved on to washing her body. After washing her body and rinsing the soap off her body, she turned around to rinse out the remaining conditioner. When she got all the conditioner out of her hair, she turned the water off and pushed back the shower curtain. She grabbed for a towel. She used get hands to wring some of the excess water out of her hair, then took the towel and wrapped her hair up in it. She then stepped out of the shower and grabbed her second towel and dried off her body.

She walked out of the bathroom and began digging through her bags for something to wear. She found a pair of gray sweat pants and a baby blue t-shirt. She got dressed, then used the towel on her head to towel dry her hair a little bit more. When she was done she took both towels and threw them over the back of the chair in the room. She made her way back over to her bed and sat down. She debated on if she wanted to go downstairs and get breakfast or not, but decided against it. She didn't feel like talking to anyone yet and she didn't have much of an appetite.

She reluctantly reached for her phone. She pushed the button and her phone lit up. _8 missed calls and 15 new messages_, she read to herself. She clicked on her call log to see her missed calls. _Nattie, Nattie, Nattie, Kaitlyn, Randy, Nattie, John, John…_ She grimaced when she read John's name. Her blue eyes began to fill with tears, she tried to fight them off, but they spilled over and streamed down her cheeks. She then clicked on her text message box. _Four messages from Nattie, one from Kaitlyn, three from Randy, one from Tyson, and six from John._ Seeing his name caused more tears to roll down her cheeks.

_Hey girl. Do you want me to come over? – N  
I'm here for you, you know that right? – N  
I'm going to take your silence as you're sleeping and not ignoring me. I love you girl. Just call me when you're ready. I have big hugs to give you– N  
Hey are you awake? – N  
If you need me, let me know. Any time ok? Love you– K  
Hey babe – R  
Want to talk? – R  
I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now, or hear him, or even see his face right now but I think you should hear John out. I'm here if you need me though – R  
Head up buttercup :) We're here for you when you're ready – T  
Hey – J  
Please answer me – J  
I'm so sorry for what happened. Please talk to me – J  
All I'm asking is for you to hear me out. Please just hear my side of this. That's all I'm asking for – J  
If you don't want to ever talk to me again after that, I'll respect that – J  
Please? – J_

Trish sighed and threw her phone down beside her. She laid back on the pillow, pulled the blankets up and rolled on her side. The tears began to stream down her face now. She didn't have enough strength left to fight it anymore. As she laid there crying, there was a knock at her door. "Who is it?" she called out. There was no answer. _Knock, knock_. "Who is it?" she called out again. Still no answer. She pushed the covers off and climbed out of bed. She wiped the tears away with her hands, dragged herself to the door and pulled it open. She was met by John's eyes looking back at her. She backed up and went to quickly close the door, but he put his strong hand up and stopped the door from closing.

"Please talk to me," he begged.

"There's nothing to say."

"I have a lot to say."

"I don't," she retorted as she tried to push the door closed, but John was too strong for her and she couldn't get the door to budge.

"Then don't _say_ anything. Just… listen," he asked softly.

With a sigh she let go of the door. She backed up and he slowly pushed the door open. He could see the traces of the fresh tears on her cheeks; he could see the puffiness in her bloodshot eyes. This sent a bolt of pain through his body, straight to his heart. He wanted to take her in his arms and wipe her tears away, but he knew that's not what she wanted. She made her way back to the bed with him following closely behind her. She sat down and he sat down next to her. He took a deep breath.

"What happened last night wasn't what you thought. AJ set me up. I was headed from the locker room to get something to eat and I ran into her on my way. She tried to talk to me but I ignored her. She said she needed to talk to me, that it was something important about you, so I stopped. That's the _only_ reason I stopped. Alicia was with her and when AJ got me to stop, Alicia kept going when AJ stopped. AJ must have known that you guys were coming, and then she grabbed me and kissed me. She did it because she knew you were coming somehow. She knew you would walk up on that happening. I didn't kiss her. I didn't reciprocate the kiss. I pushed her away."

Trish stayed silent. She stared at a spot on the floor. She couldn't stop the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks. John looked at her waiting for some kind of response. But he got nothing.

"Nothing?" he asked softly.

"You said I didn't have to _say_ anything. Just listen. I listened."

"So that's it?"

"That's it."

"You still don't believe me, do you?"

She stayed silent again. She raised her hand to her face and wiped away another tear that streamed down her cheek/ It broke his heart to see her like this. It hurt even more to know it was because of him that she was in this condition to begin with.

"Should I go?" he whispered.

"Yes," she whispered back.

He slowly got up and stood in front of her for a second. He looked down at her. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and take all her pain away. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head which caused her to cry harder. He turned and headed towards the door. He looked back at her, but she still hadn't looked up from the same spot on the floor she had been looking at their entire conversation. He pulled the door open and let himself out. He closed the door softly behind him. When she heard the click of the door closing, she exploded in a full out sob. She laid back down in the bed and pulled the covers up over her head. All she wanted to do was to drown out the rest of the world.

* * *

Three hours had gone by until she heard her phone. She knew who it was by the ringtone. It was Randy. She clicked on the green 'answer' button. "Hello?"

"Get your ass up. I'm on my way over," Randy barked.

Seconds later there was someone pounding at her door. She went over to the door and pulled it open. Randy walked through the door as soon as she opened it. He walked past her and straight to her bed and sat down.

"Sure Randy… Come on in," she mumbled under her breath as she closed the door.

"I told you I was coming." She slowly walked back over to the bed and sat down. He looked over at her. "We need to talk. I know you don't want to, you don't want to hear about it and yadda yadda, but we're going to talk."

She didn't answer him.

"You're wrong about this whole John thing."

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Randy, I really don't wanna talk about this."

"I know that. If you recall, I started off the conversation by stating that," his cocky smile spreading across his lips.

The corners of her lips pulled into a slight smile. "You're such an ass Orton."

"But you love me."

"Like the brother I never wanted."

"But seriously. Think about it… If he was really messing around with AJ, why would he have spent the last two nights with you? Ya know? He worked harder than he's ever done to get your attention. Why would he fuck it up now by messing with AJ?"

"I don't know…" she answered softly.

"He wouldn't. She knew you were coming down that way. She knew if she timed it just right, that's what you'd see and you'd be pissed at John, and blah blah blah. Fast forward to now and bam! That's what you saw and now you're pissed at John. Her plan worked brilliantly. She's a little evil genius."

"AJ just happened to know I was going that way at that very moment? That doesn't sound very likely Randy. It's not like I called her and told her I was on my way to catering."

"Yeah, she did. I'm telling you, she's a little evil genius."

She sighed. "Really Randy? That's the best you could come up with?"

Randy frowned at her. "What was the first thing he did when you saw him?"

"He pushed her away."

"Right. Because he didn't know that was going to happen. The 'Oh Shit' look wasn't just because you walked up. It was because he was genuinely surprised by the crazy bitch grabbing his face and shamming her tongue down this throat."

Trish shrugged, "If I got caught kissing someone when I was trying to make someone else believe I liked them, the first thing I'd do it push them away. Then come up with some excuse as to how it wasn't what they thought, blah blah blah."

"Look at this face," Randy said pointing to his face. "Do you think _I _would lie to you?"

"It's not _you_ who I'm worried about lying to me Randy, you know that."

"He's my best friend and I _know_ my best friend. He's telling the truth. I believe him. Just think about it and think about what I said before you go and make any kind of rash decisions about it. Really think about it, okay?"

She nodded at him.

Randy glanced over at the clock. "Now get your ass out of that bed, and get ready. We have to get to check in for Smackdown." He swatted at her and smacked her in the leg.

She giggled and swatted back at him. "Out of my room Orton."

"What I can't stay for the show?" he joked grinning as he stood up.

"Out Orton!" she commanded, pushing him towards the door.

"Want me to ride with you?" he asked.

"Will you drive?"

"Of course. You _know_ I'm not getting in the car while _you_ drive," he joked.

She swatted at him again. He nimbly slid to the side, avoiding her. "It's 3:00. You have a half an hour. Hurry it up toots. We have to be there by 5:00."

"Yes sir," she mocked.

He grinned. "Now that's what I like to hear."

"You're such an ass! Sometimes, I don't even know why I'm friends with you," she said chuckling.

"Hey?"

"What?"

"You're smiling and laughing. My job is done. That's all I wanted to see," he said with a genuine warmness to his voice.

She smiled at him. "Thank you Randy, I needed that." She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him.

He smiled, wrapped his arms around her small frame, and gave her a squeeze back. "I know you did. And anything for you honey, that's what friends are for."


	13. Chapter 13

******A/N:**** Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Trish quickly changed into a pair of dark blue jeans and a deep purple button down shirt. She took a small section of hair and pinned it back out of her face. She quickly put on some eyeliner and mascara. She slid on a pair of black flats, grabbed her bags, her phone, and headed down to the lobby to meet Randy. He was standing in the lobby waiting for her. He pointed to his watch and gave her the 'You're late' face.

"Two freaking minutes Orton," she said rolling her eyes at him. She pulled the car keys out of her pocket and handed them to Randy.

"I said half an hour not thirty-two minutes."

She rolled her eyes at him again. He picked up his bags and they headed out the lobby door. He followed her to the Silver Honda Civic she had rented the night before. He hit the 'unlock' button on the key pad and pulled open the diver door. He popped his seat forward and stuffed his bag into the backseat. Trish did the same on the passenger side with her bag. Once they were settled in, Randy started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot. The ride was a short one, but with New York traffic, the ride that should have been thirty minutes took them just under an hour. Randy cursed and yelled at the amount of traffic. Finally, they arrived at the arena. He drove around the back to the wrestler's entrance. He found a spot and parked. They got out, grabbed their bags, and headed towards the security guard waiting to check their passes.

They walked into the arena and Randy turned to her and gave her a hug. "See you later. I'm gonna go find the guys."

"Randy?"

He stopped and turned back around to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for today."

He smiled. "Any time honey, any time." He turned to go but stopped. "Just think about what I said to you, okay?"

"Okay," she answered softly.

She turned and headed down the long corridor towards the woman's locker room. She played the conversation she had with Randy over and over in her head. Randy wouldn't lie to me. Maybe what John told me was true. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She didn't want to think about this right now.

* * *

Randy pulled open the locker room door and walked in. John was already sitting there, his ring gear half on. He was sitting there staring into space. He didn't even notice Randy walk in.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Randy asked with a laugh.

John snapped out of his trance and looked at Randy. "Yo man. What's up? I didn't even hear you come in."

"I see that. You alright?"

John stayed silent for a minute. "Yeah... Just thinking about shit."

"What shit?"

"Everything..."

"I talked to Trish."

John perked up in his seat. "You did?"

"Yeah," Randy answered simply.

"And?" John asked impatiently.

"I don't know, but I told her what really happened. I don't know that she was fully sold on it, but I told her to think about what I told her. So... I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

John slumped back down in his chair. His interest in the conversation faded. "Oh."

Randy patted John on the shoulder. "Have a little faith man. She'll come around."

* * *

Trish sat in the woman's locker room chatting with the girls. Kaitlyn left to go wrestle in her match. She was defending her Diva's title against Aksana. Trish and Natalya watched on the monitors in the back. After Kaitlyn defeated Aksana to retain her title, Trish and Natalya left the viewing area and headed back towards the locker room to meet Kaitlyn back there.

"So what are your plans for the night?" Natalya asked.

"I don't really have any. I guess I'm just going to go back to my room and catch up on some sleep and TV."

Natalya scrunched up her face. "That doesn't sound like any fun. We're going to hit up one of the bars. I think you should come. Some alcohol would do you some good I think."

"I don't really feel like it."

"You're really not going to have a choice since you rode in with Randy. He already decided he's going… soooooo… you're stuck," she answered with a hopeful smile.

"I'll just have him drop me off before he goes."

"Please come?" Natalya pleaded. "A girl needs her friends when she's going through situations like this. Let me be here for you. Come with us, get all sexy-d up, indulge in some adult beverages and forget about it for tonight."

"How can I forget about it when it's right in front of my face?"

"I'm not beyond getting on my knees and begging. And if that doesn't work, I'll throw myself on the ground and throw the biggest fully grown woman hissy fit you've ever seen!" Trish couldn't help it but to laugh at her friend. "You laugh, but you know it's true. You know I'll do it!"

"I know you will," she said still laughing.

"So you'll go?"

Trish let out a sigh. "Yes I'll go," she finally gave in. "But only for a little while."

"Yay!" Natalya squealed. "Now let's get you all sexy and get out of here!" She linked her arm with Trish's and pulled her towards the locker room.

* * *

The bar was busy, but not overly busy. There wasn't a long line, so it didn't take them long at all to get in. Trish had decided to ride with Natalya, Kaitlyn, and Layla to the bar. Tyson rode with Randy so he could give the girls their "girl time." After having their ID's checked at the front door by the bouncer, the girls made their way in. Natalya searched the faces of the crowd looking for Tyson.

"Tyson's over there," she pointed. She linked her arm with Trish's and headed for him. He was standing at a high top table talking to Randy.

"There you are gorgeous," Tyson greeted Natalya with a smile. He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, placing a kiss on her forehead. He looked over at Trish and smiled. "Hey momma, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she answered with a weak smile.

"I'm glad to see you came out and you look absolutely amazing, just so you know." Natalya smiled at her boyfriend's reaction to her handiwork. "What's that look for?"

"After a little arm twisting on my part I convinced her to let me pick her clothes, pick her make-up, and how she did her hair. I thought she could use the boost, so I made her look even hotter than she normally is."

Randy gave her a once over. Tyson was right. She did look amazing. She had on a lavender spaghetti strap tank top that showed just enough of her ample cleavage. She had a black lace top over the lavender tank top that hung off of her shoulders. Natalya had paired it with a pair of tight black pants that hugged her hips and ass just right. She finished off the look with a pair of black boots that stopped just below Trish's knee. Natalya had done Trish's eyes dramatic and sexy. She used a lavender shadow and smudged a black shadow on the outer edges of her eye lids. She used black eyeliner and black mascara to finish off her creation. Natalya left Trish's hair down in soft waves. "He's right, you do look amazing. What's the special occasion?" Randy asked as he extended his arms to give Trish a hug.

"There isn't one. She thought I needed a night out, in a 'killer outfit, with killer make-up' to make me feel better," Trish answered with a chuckle wrapping her arms around Randy's waist and giving him a squeeze. "Although, I don't really want to be all dressed up or out for that matter."

"Well you do look killer," Randy said with a smile. "Don't get upset with me, but he's here," he whispered into her hair. "I asked him to come. He wasn't going to. He just wanted to go back to his room, but I made him come. I couldn't just let him go back to his room alone all night and sulk.

Her stomach immediately began to twist in anxious knots. She dropped her arms from his waist and stepped back. "No, I'm not upset." She couldn't help but to scan the bar to see where he was. When she finally found him, a twinge of pain hit her in her heart. He was standing two tables away talking to Mike. Kaitlyn had made her way over to Mike and was intently listening to their conversation. As she looked at him, he looked up at her and their eyes locked. She turned away. _Naturally… The moment you go to look at him has to be the time he looks at you? _She thought to herself.

About an hour had gone by and the night was great. Lots of drinks, food music, dancing and good conversation. John had kept his distance from Trish, not because he wanted to but because he felt that's what she wanted. She hadn't spoken to him since he came to her room to try and explain himself to her. After awhile of drinking and dancing she had almost forgotten he was there. She was having so much fun with everyone, everyone was going out of their way to keep her mind busy so she wouldn't think about it. Cody had made his way out to the dance floor and asked Trish to dance with him. She agreed to her friends request and danced with him. As she and Cody were dancing she looked up and was met by John's eyes again. He was standing there watching her dance with Cody. His eyes never left her. She couldn't quite read the expression on his face. She decided she had enough dancing for now and went to make her way back to the table. As she was talking through the crowd he looked up and was met by his eyes watching her. She felt someone grab a hold of her arm and stop her. She turned around to see who it was and she was met by the face of Alicia Fox.

"Hey Trish, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Okay? What's up?" she asked confused. Trish and Alicia knew each other, but they weren't quite friends. They were cordial when they saw each other, but their conversations never really extended beyond that.

"Look, first I want to apologize about last night and I want to let you know you're wrong about what happened. John _wasn't_ kissing AJ, AJ kissed him."

Natalya had seen Alicia go towards Trish and she made a b-line straight to her friend's side. "What are you talking about?" Natalya snapped.

Alicia edged a tiny bit closer. "She kissed him. We were walking back from getting something to eat when she saw him at the other end of the corridor. I'm guessing he was either on his way to get something to eat or he was looking for you, but either way she spotted him. I told her to just come on, but she said he had to talk to John. I told her no she didn't and to come on and leave him alone. Then she told me that she just wanted to tell John that she was done. She told me she just wanted to tell him she realized she was never going to get him, that she's moved on, she has someone else, and that all she wanted was for him to be happy. I stupidly believed her. She asked me to go down to the end of the corridor and let her know if anyone was coming. I figured she didn't want you to walk up and see them talking and think wrong of it. So when I saw you guys coming, I sent her a text. The next thing I knew, she grabbed his face and kissed him."

Anger hit Trish like a ton of bricks. "Let me guess… He put you up to it? He got you to come over here and tell me that bullshit story? If I didn't believe it when he told me what the hell makes you think I'm going to believe it coming from you?"

"No! No he didn't ask me to do anything. I came to you because I wanted you to know. I felt terrible after I figured out what happened! I went to him and explained my side of the story. I even offered to go talk to you for him but he told me not to. He said the same thing you did. He said you didn't believe it coming from him and he doubted you'd believe it coming from me either."

Trish was in shock. She didn't know what to say. "Really?" she whispered.

"Really. Don't take it out on John. If you don't like him, that's up to you. Just don't base your decision on what happened last night, okay? And I'm sorry. Honest. I didn't know she was going to do that because if I did, I wouldn't have been a part of it."

Trish nodded her head, trying to take all the new information in. Her stomach twisted in knots. She felt like she was going to throw up. She felt like such an ass. She didn't even give him a chance. She waved off his explanation as lies automatically. She continued on her way to the table and stopped next to Randy.

"You okay? You look like you're going to throw up," he asked concerned, grabbing a hold of her arm.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Drink too much?" he asked.

"No."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Randy, you were right. Everything he said was the truth. Everything he said what the truth. I'm such an idiot!" she blurted out.

"You believe me now?"

"Yes! Alicia just came to me and explained everything."

"Alicia explained what to you?"

"AJ told Alicia she just wanted to tell John that she was done, that she realized she was never going to get him, she's moved on to someone else, and that all she wanted was for him to be happy. She told Alicia to go down to the end of the corridor and let her know if anyone was coming. Alicia figured AJ didn't want me to walk up and see them talking. When Alicia saw us coming, she sent AJ a text, and then she grabbed his face and kissed him. She did know I was coming," Trish explained.

"You're not an idiot."

"I feel like one. I didn't even give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Did you talk to him yet?" Randy asked.

"No."

"You should. He wants to talk to you, he's holding onto hope that you'll go over and talk to him though. He won't come over to you because he thinks you hate him, you don't want to speak to him ever again. Blah, blah, blah... You know the typical drama queen reaction," he said with a half smile.

Trish didn't say anything. She stood there; her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She felt terrible now knowing she waved him off as a liar and wouldn't give him the chance to explain. The night he came to her hotel room to try to talk to her now played over and over in her head. She felt like a complete asshole for not even listening to him.

"Hell-ooo?" Randy asked again, waving his hand in front of her face. He had been talking to her, but she wasn't listening. She was lost in her own thoughts.

She snapped out of her fog and looked at Randy. "Huh?"

"You should go talk to him."

Her stomach twisted in nervous knots. She peered around Randy to look at John. He was leaning against the same table he'd been around all night sipping on the bottle of beer in his hand. She took the beer out of Randy's hand, took a big swig, and handed it back to Randy. She ran her hands down the front of her shirt, smoothing it out, took a deep breath and headed towards John. She walked up behind John and before she got the chance to say anything, Mike spoke first.

"Hey you! It's about time you came over here to talk to us! I was beginning to think we were the redheaded stepchildren."

John turned around. His facial expression was surprised, but he didn't say anything.

"I came over here to talk to one of you."

"Don't worry, I was just leaving anyway," John answered. He chugged back the last of his beer and put the empty bottle back on the table. He didn't say another word, he just turned to leave.

"Actually, _you_ were the one I wanted to talk to," she said as she grabbed a hold of his wrist.

Mike smirked. "That's my cue to exit stage left." Mike turned and disappeared into the crowd of people.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you."

"Talk," he said coolly.

"Do you really want to have this conversation here?"

"Ohhhh… I get it. You wanted to tell me to fuck off privately?" he answered sarcastically. "It's cool. I get the picture, no conversation needed. Why don't you go talk to Cody? Seems like you two were pretty fuckin' friendly out there." He turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Trish stood there, her mouth hanging open with shock. The tears began to stream down her cheeks. His words stung her down to her core. She had never heard John so angry, so full of hate before. But maybe she deserved it after the way she treated John.

"What the hell happened?" Randy asked as he rushed over to her.

"I… I… I don't know…" she stammered.

Randy let out a loud sigh and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she wept into his chest. "Shhh… Don't cry. It's okay," he stroked her hair in trying to comfort her. "Come on. I'll take you back to the hotel."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: It's a little later than I wanted to get this out, but my day got crazy. Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

The car ride back to the hotel was silent. Trish's mind was racing. She didn't know what to think, or what to do. She felt like such an idiot for jumping to conclusions. John's reaction to her still stung, but she kept seeing John's face the night he had come to her room to try to explain things to her over and over again in her head. She deserved every bit of what he said. She went over the situation again and again and wished she would have done so many things differently. She debated what she should do now. Should she call him? Should she text him? Go to his room? What if he wouldn't open the door? What if he didn't want to talk to her? What if he didn't want to hear her apology now? She couldn't blame him if he didn't. As they pulled into the parking lot Randy turned to her.

"Want me to come and sit with you for awhile?" he offered gently.

She sat in the passenger seat silently staring out the window.

"You know I will, right?" Randy asked.

"I'm going to go and try to talk to him," she finally answered.

"What?"

"I'm going to go to his room and try to talk to him."

Randy's face had shock written all over it. "You are?"

"Yeah. I owe him that at least."

They walked to the back of the car to pull their bags out of the trunk. "How about you give me your room key card? I'll wait in your room so you can talk to him privately."

"Sure," she pulled her key card out of her bag absent-mindedly and handed it to Randy.

The elevator ride was silent. Her nerves were beginning to get the better of her. Her heart began to race and her hands trembled with anxiety. The elevator opened and they got out. They headed down the hallway towards their rooms.

"Here, give me your bags. I'll put them in your room for you." She handed him her bags. Randy gave her a reassuring hug and kissed her on the top of her head. "Go ahead. You got this, but if you need me, I'll be right here," He disappeared into her room.

She continued down the hallway a little further until she came to his door. She stopped outside and stared at the door for a few seconds, trying to calm her nerves. She sucked in a big breath of air and slowly released it. She raised her hand and knocked on the door. She backed up a few steps and waited. After a few seconds she heard some noise from behind the door. The door opened and she stared at the man in front of her. He stood there in a pair of blue mesh shorts and no shirt. She continued her way up his body until she was looking at his face. The features on his face were hard and still angry.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Are you busy?"

"No."

"Umm… Can we please talk?"

He didn't answer. He just nodded his head.

"Can I come in?"

His face still didn't change and his body was tense. His eyes were cold, no smile, nothing. "I guess." He took a step backwards and she followed him. She shut the door quietly behind her and followed him into the room. He walked over to the bed and sat down. She walked over to him and stood in front of him. He looked up at her, she put her small hands on either side of his face and leaned in and kissed him. She snaked her arms around his neck. His body relaxed under her arms and he ran his hands up her legs until his hands came to her ass. He cupped her ass in his hands and pulled her closer to him. She tightened her grip around his neck. She gently sucked his bottom lip into her mouth eliciting a soft moan from him. She took advantage of his parted lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth, exploring the depths of his mouth, tasting him. She slowly pulled away from the kiss and rested her forehead on his.

"What was that?" he asked softly.

"An apology."

"An apology? For what?"

"For everything…"

He smiled. "Mmmm... I like your apology."

She smiled back at him. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for what I said at the bar, for the way I acted… It's just… With everything that happened, then seeing you dancing with Cody… I dunno. It got under my skin. I was pissed off that you were dancing with him; I was pissed off about the situation, pissed off about everything. In my head it was like 'why does he get a chance and I don't', all I want is just one chance, then I got even more pissed off when I remembered 'you had a chance, dummy, but it got demolished by'…"

She covered his lips with hers. He couldn't help but to smile against her lips. "I guess that means shut up John?" he asked with a chuckle.

She smiled. "Yes, but I just said it politely."

"If that's the way you say shut up, you can tell me to shut up anytime. Hell, I want you to tell me to shut up as often as you'd like to," he said with a grin.

"You know Cody and I are just friends…" she trailed off.

"I know… I… I just over reacted."

"I understand why you reacted the way you did though, and I deserved it. I deserved everything you said. You tried to tell me, I wouldn't listen and I'm sorry. I should have listened to you," she answered sincerely.

"It's okay. All that matters is that you're here with me now."

He tightened his grip around her waist and pulled her down to the bed. She giggled as she tumbled to the bed with him. He laid there on his side looking down at her and smiled. He leaned his head down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"God I missed you," he said as he leaned in further trailed a line of soft kisses up her jaw until he reached her earlobe. He nipped at her earlobe causing her to moan softly. He continued his way on to her neck. He sucked and nibbled on her neck. He remembered it drove her crazy. The feel of his lips on her neck felt like a bolt of electricity coursing through her, her every nerve ending was tingling. She whimpered softly causing him to smile against her neck. He began kissing down her neck and down her collarbone. He slid his hand under her shirt and ran his strong hand up her soft bare skin until he reached her breast. He ran his hand along her bra towards her back. She arched her back so he could fit his hand under her and he unclasped her bra with ease. He reached for the hem of her shirt and started pulling it up. She leaned up slightly to make it easier for him. He slid her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the floor. He removed her bra and tossed it in the same direction he her shirt went. She laid back down and he stopped to marvel at her perfect breasts. He never knew she had her nipples pierced until now and he found it sexy as hell. He slid his hand up to cup her breast. He squeezed her breast then took her nipple between his thumb and finger and gently rolled it between his fingers. He released her nipple from his fingers and quickly replaced them with his mouth. He swirled his tongue around her nipple then sucked gently on her nipple ring. She moaned louder this time and her hips involuntarily bucked.

"Mmmm," he murmured against her skin. His hot breath on her skin caused her to shudder; her pale skin rose up in goose bumps. He switched his attention to her other nipple. He took it into his mouth and did the same as he did the first. She reached down and grabbed his face and pulled him up to her. She slid her tongue into his eagerly anticipating mouth. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Their kiss deepened, a low moan escaped John's lips this time. He snaked his arm up around her and tangled his fingers into her hair. He gave her hair a soft tug and she nearly came undone, she moaned into his mouth.

John reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers. "God you turn me on."

She grinned at him. "That's the whole point."

"I can't take too much more." He took in a deep breath. "If I don't stop now, I'm not going to be able to stop myself from taking your pants off and having my way with you," he answered with a smirk.

She looked up at him, her big blue eyes sparking in the dim light of the room. "John, I don't want you to stop." Her words took him by surprise. He blinked at her, momentarily frozen with confusion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. His mouth opened and she slid her tongue out and licked his bottom lip then sucked on it softly. Her kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and she moaned into his mouth. "Please John?" she pleaded softly.

* * *

It was 9:30am and John began to stir. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear out the blurriness from sleep. He went to raise his arms to stretch, but felt a weight on his right arm. He looked down at Trish, still sleeping; her head was resting on his arm. He could feel the warmth of her hand on his stomach. Memories from the night before began to flood his mind, and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. _So much for waiting until we called it official_, he thought to himself. _Oh well, it was sooo worth it,_ he thought with a shrug. He had given into her plea and made love to her. It was even more wonderful than he imagined it would be.

"Mmmm… what are you smiling at?"

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hasn't noticed the beautiful, naked woman laying in bed next to him had woken up and was staring up at him. He looked down at her and smiled. "Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she asked.

"Last night," he answered with a grin. "That was… You were… Amazing."

She giggled, "You weren't so bad yourself."

He rolled over on top of her, pinning her underneath his weight. He dipped his head down and nipped at her neck. "I wasn't so bad, huh?"

"Mmmm… no," she answered.

"Just not bad?" he breathed into her ear seductively. He sucked on her earlobe for a second before heading down to her collarbone. He gently sunk his teeth into her soft flesh, then released and sucked on the same spot. His hand traveled up her side until it came to her bare breast and he gave her nipple ring a soft tug, causing her hips to buck upwards towards him.

"Mmmm… You were…" she trailed off.

"I was what?" he breathed into her ear as he gave her nipple ring another soft tug.

"Grrrrrrrrrrreat."

He chuckled. "Hmm… I like this," he said with a devilish grin.

"Like what?" she asked, her voice husky from her arousal.

"The things I'm capable of doing to you. The reactions I get from you… God you turn me on."

She grinned at him and quickly pushed him off her. She slid herself on top of him, so that she was straddling him. She could feel just how much she turned him on. "Do I?"

"Mmhmmm…"

"Too bad we'll have to wait to take care of that because I'm starving right now," she said with a devilish smile as she hopped off of him and headed towards the bathroom.

John rolled over and buried his face into a pillow. "No fair!" he growled in frustration.

"It's not happening. You might as well get up and get dressed," she called to him.

He smiled into the pillow then rolled back over to his lay on his back. "Fine!" he called back to her. "Then you're going to let me take to breakfast. There's this place I love around the corner we'll go to."

"Deal."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it! As always, reviews are appreciated! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**_* The Following Monday*_**

AJ skipped through the halls, humming softly to herself, and a smile on her face. She stopped dead in her tracks when the sight of something outside the arena caught her attention. The sight made her jaw drop open. She clutched at her throat, gasping for air. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to watch. John was standing at the trunk of a car, pulling out his bag and Trish was standing with him. He reached over and handed a bag to her. They were talking and smiling at each other from what she could see. John shut the trunk and turned himself around so he was facing Trish. He leaned back onto the car and reached out to her, sliding his arms around her waist. He pulled her to him, she ran her hands up his chest until her arms were around his neck, and with that they were locked in a kiss.

AJ gasped again, this time clutching at her heart. "No no no no no! This can't be happening! This isn't happening!" she wailed. It felt as though someone had ripped her heart out of her chest. Tears now flowed freely from her brown eyes. She watched for a moment longer, and it was all she could take. Her stomach was turning; she could feel the bile making its way up her throat. She quickly spun on her heel and bolted towards the bathroom. She barreled through the door and collapsed to her knees on the cold tile, throwing up into the toilet. After she was finished throwing up, she sank down the stall, bring her knees to her face, and began sobbing loudly to herself as she rocked back and forth.

After a few minutes of sobbing alone, AJ heard the bathroom door open. She momentarily stopped sobbing and examined the legs of the intruder.

"Hello? Is someone in here?" the intruder called out.

AJ stayed silent as the intruder walked closer, stopping in front of the stall. "AJ, is that you?"

"Go away!" AJ called.

"AJ let me in."

"Go away Aksana! I don't want to talk to anyone right now! I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my chest!"

Aksana gently pushed open the stall door. She took in the view of AJ, a crumpled mess on the floor. Her cheeks were still wet with tears, and streaked with the mascara and eyeliner she was wearing. "What's the matter?" she asked, concerned. She crouched down in front of AJ waiting for her response.

"I just had my heart-broken! Like you even care!" she yelled, angrily.

"What are you talking about? Who broke your heart? What happened?" Aksana asked confused.

"John, you moron! John!" AJ shouted at her.

Aksana winced at her words. "John…"

AJ cut her off. "John broke my heart, that's what John did. He spent two nights with that tramp! I thought I had put an end to it, but apparently I was wrong! You know why? I'll tell you why!" AJ shouted as she picked her self up off the floor and walked out of the stall. "Because I was looking for John a few minutes ago, and do you know what I saw?" AJ asked rhetorically. "I'll tell you what I saw! I saw my boyfriend with that tramp again! He had the blatant nerve to show up here… with her… together… in the same damn car…" AJ shouted in broken sentences. She had begun to pace the bathroom floor; a wild look came over her face, as she ran her hands through her hair.

"Since when was he your boyfriend? You know he…"

"Yes he is, damn it!" AJ shrieked.

Aksana jumped at the shrill tone of her voice. She slowly backed up to the wall and began to slowly retreat towards the door.

"Then… He… He… Kissed her! He kissed her! I saw him kiss her!" she shirked again. AJ had begun to pace faster. Her movements were wild and jerky. "He's not supposed to be kissing her! He's supposed to be kissing me!"

"But AJ, he's been with Trish. He's been with her since she went to apologize to him. They've…"

"She did what?" AJ shrieked again. She took a menacing step towards Aksana.

"Oh… Umm… I thought you knew."

"Of course I didn't know!" AJ growled. "She stooped that low as to go to _my_ boyfriend and beg him to see her… to feel sorry for her?"

"Well your little friend Alicia went to Trish and told her a bunch of lies. She told Trish you tricked her into telling her when she was coming and then planted one on John. She even had the nerve to say John didn't kiss you, that you forced yourself on him. After that, Trish went to John's hotel room and apologized to him for not believing him… for believing your lies. They've been inseparable ever since," Aksana said with an evil smile.

AJ's tiny body filled with rage. She began to scream at the top of her lungs as she kicked the trashcan over. AJ's chest heaved in and out as she panted heavily. Her pacing begun to slow, and she stopped to look at Aksana.

"So what are you going to do about the bitch trying to take your man?" Aksana asked with a sly smile.

"I… I don't know…" AJ stammered.

"Are you going to let her get away with that? Are you going to let her get away with stealing your man?"

"No! I'm not going to let her get away with stealing my man!"

"Good," Aksana said with a smile. She walked out of the bathroom leaving AJ to her thoughts. _Getting her all riled up is like taking candy from a baby_, Aksana thought to herself with a laugh.

* * *

"What are you smiling like that for?" Antonio Cesaro asked, coming up behind Aksana.

"Oh nothing," she answered, with a sweet smile.

"Judging from that face, I can see it's more than nothing," Antonio answered, skeptically.

"Do you remember when Trish and I first met, Antonio?" Aksana answered.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember how she showed up on the scene here and exploded in popularity?" Antonio remained silent. "Do you remember how she stole my spotlight? How she got herself into all those great matches, great angles, and even got herself written into an angle with one of the companies biggest stars?"

"Ummm…" Antonio sputtered out, unsure where this conversation was going.

"Yeah… She stole my spotlight! Those matches should have been mine. That angle with one of the company's biggest stars should be mine! I'm stuck here doing nothing in this god forsaken company while she basks in the spotlight. My biggest career highlight was having Teddy Long in love with me!" she spat with a scowl. "I don't like her, Antonio. I never did, and I never will. So, I'm hoping by stirring the pot with the little psycho, maybe with any luck she'll quit… Or at least, knock her ass off her high horse she rode in on and reclaim the spotlight that I truly deserve!"

* * *

AJ made her way back to the front of the arena where she'd first spotted Trish and John. She stood at the door, staring out into the parking lot. John was still leaning against the car like he was when AJ had last saw him. He was leaning against the car with his arms wrapped around Trish's waist and she was leaning on him. Natalya and Tyson had made their way outside and the foursome were talking and laughing. AJ stood watching. She was now seething.

"She thinks she won… Ha!" she scoffed. "They think this is over. Well I've got news for them! This is far from over! John is _mine_, and I'm going to get what I want, one way or the other. My first plan may have failed, but this one won't," she said to herself. She pulled out her cell phone and began texting someone.

_Hey, I have a plan and I need your help – A_  
_Do I even want to be involved in this plan of yours?_  
_Yes you do. It's going to end up benefitting both you and I – A_  
_Oh will it? Now I'm interested. Tell me more_  
_In due time my dear. I will call you in the morning with further instructions – A_

A large grin spread across AJ's face. "Enjoy your moment with _my_ boyfriend Trish because your moment is just about up!"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting out the next chapter. I had a bit of writers block, but I think I got over it lol :) Thank you to My Time Is Now and Therealchamps for the reviews. I appreciated them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Trish was exhausted after the ride from Philadelphia for Raw to Hershey for Smackdown. She couldn't wait to soothe her sore muscles with a hot shower then crawl into bed. The fact that she was crawling into bed with John was just icing on the cake. John pushed the button on the elevator, and they waited for the door to open. The elevator bell dung and the heavy doors slid open. Trish walked into the elevator and John followed her in. He leaned over and pushed the '10' button and the heavy doors slid shut. As soon as the doors were closed, John slid his arms around Trish's waist and pulled her back to him. He leaned his head in and softly bit into the soft flesh of her collar bone causing her knees to buckle slightly. He smiled into her neck, and then placed a line of wet kisses up her neck until he reached her ear.

"I can't wait to get you in the room," he whispered into her ear seductively.

She giggled. "There's going to be none of that tonight, mister!"

"Awhhh. What do you mean none of that?" he whined. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest and pouted.

"Hot showers and bed. We're both tired, and I'm sure you're sore as hell after what The Shield did to you tonight. I think you need a good nights rest."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Trish stepped about and John followed behind her. She waited for him to walk ahead of her, and she followed him to their room. After a few minutes, they were in front of their room. John pulled out their key card and inserted into the door. He waited for the red light to turn green, and then pushed the door open.

"I'm never too tired or sore for you, besides, I think you could help me work out the kinks," he retorted with the knee weakening smile she loved so much. He flipped on the light and walked into the room towards the bed. Trish followed closely behind him. He stopped suddenly causing her to bump into him from behind.

She giggled at him. "What are you doing?"

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the bedside table.

She peeked her head around his large frame to see what he was talking about. On the bedside table sat a large clear vase filled with what looked like two dozen red roses with baby's breath mixed in. She looked up at him and smiled. "They're beautiful."

"If you say so, but where did they come from?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"From you," she answered with a chuckle.

He shook his head at her. "No they didn't come from me."

"What do you mean, they didn't come from you?" she asked, skeptically.

"I mean they didn't come from me, honest," he answered as he dropped his bag on the floor and sat down on the bed. "Is there a card?"

"I have no idea." She walked over to the vase and rummaged around through the flowers. She finally found a small yellow envelope that was practically hidden in the flowers. She plucked it from the flowers and inspected the front of the envelope and read it to herself.

_Trish_

She slid her finger under the flap and pulled out the small card that was inside. She turned into the light so she could read the message that was typed on the small card.

_I saw these flowers and I instantly  
thought of you although they aren't  
quite as beautiful as you. Hope you  
like them, beautiful. Can't wait to  
see you again.  
XOXO  
-Me_

"Well?" he asked, his tone getting slightly impatient.

She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered as she handed the card to John. He took the card in his large hands and read it. The features of his face began to change, the further he read the card. Trish watched as the happy, playful expression John had on his face when they first got into their room quickly changed to surprise and hurt. Seeing the hurt on his face sent a pang of pain to her heart. She stepped in front of John and placed her tiny hands on either side of his face and tilted his head up to look at her. "John, I honestly don't know where they came from, and I don't care. You know I haven't been anywhere with you, and that's the only place I _want_ to be."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Oh yeah?"

She closed the distance between them and placed her lips on his. His lips automatically parted for her and she darted her tongue into his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, deepening their kiss. He ran his hands up her legs until he got to her ass, and gave it a firm squeeze. She broke their kiss and placed a line of kisses down his jawbone until she got to that soft spot on his neck behind his ear that drove him crazy. She sucked softly on his neck causing him to moan loudly. With a growl he quickly stood up and picked her up with one swift motion. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He placed on knee on the bed and lowered her to the bed. He reached for the bottom of her shirt, pulling it up as he crawled up her body. She leaned up slightly and he pulled her shit off and tossed it across the room. He stopped for a moment to take in the beauty of her body. He ran his strong hands up her soft stomach. He continued his way up her body with his eyes until his met hers and she smiled up at him. "God, the things you do to me," he said, his voice husky with his arousal.

"I have an idea."

"What's that baby?" he asked, massaging her breasts through her bra.

"I want to take a shower. Come shower with me?"

He smirked at her. "Hmmm… I like your idea." He stood up and reached down for her hand, helping her to her feet. "Why don't you go get the water started and I'll be right in?"

She nodded at him, and turned towards the bathroom. He took advantage and swatted her in ass as she walked away. She stopped when she reached the bathroom door and turned back around to face him. "Don't keep me waiting too long, handsome."

"Mmmm… You know I won't."

He waited until she had disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the water running, and then turned to look at the vase full of flowers. He picked up the vase and quietly crept to the door. He opened the door and snuck out into the hallway, taking special care to make sure the door didn't slam shut. He walked down to the end of the hallway and tossed the flowers, vase and all into it. _Whoever sent my girl flowers not only wasted their time but also wasted their money_, he thought to himself with a smirk. _Hmmm… My girl… I like the sound of that… Well, she's not technically my girl but that's okay… I'm gonna make her my girl… _He silently crept back into the room. He kicked off his shoes then pulled off his socks. He then quickly stripped off his shirt and tossed it on the bed. He unbuckled his belt and let his pants slide down his legs; he stepped out, and then slid his boxers down. He pushed open the door to the bathroom and walked in. "Are you ready for me, gorgeous?"

"Mmhmm. I've been. You made me wait long enough," she said as she peeked her head outside the shower curtain. "Are you gonna stand out there all night or are you gonna get in here with me?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Here I come."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you to My Time Is Now and Therealchamps for the reviews. You guys are awesome! I appreciated them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

John decided he didn't want to do anything at all before they had to leave to make check in for Smackdown. Trish wanted to at least get in a workout before Smackdown, and with a little arm twisting on her part; she finally got him to agree. Naturally though, it came with a provision. He agreed to go with her to workout on the condition that they went early, got it out of the way, and she spent the rest of the day with him in their room until they had to leave to go to Smackdown. She agreed to his condition and they went and worked out together. On their way back they grabbed a quick breakfast before returning to their room.

John took his shower first and when he was done, Trish got in the shower herself. After throwing on a pair of black mesh shorts, John got into bed and flicked the TV on. _I'm nervous_, he thought to himself as he stood up and began pacing through the room. _Maybe I'll just wait to have this conversation with her… No… I'm going to and that's all there is to it. _John heard the water turn off in the bathroom. His stomach filled with butterflies and he ran his hands over his short hair. He walked back over to the bed, sat down, and let out a loud sigh. A few minutes later, he heard the bathroom door open and he looked up. Trish stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black tank top and a pair of black boy shorts underwear. She was towelling off some of the extra water from her long hair.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Umm… Yeah. Why?"

"You've got no color in your face. You look like you're about to throw up all over," she answered.

"Why don't you bring your sexy ass over here?"

She giggled at him and momentarily disappeared back into the bathroom for a second. She reemerged without the towel in her hands and made her way over to John.

When she got close enough, he reached out and took her small hands in his and pulled her in front of him. He looked up at her; his icy blue eyes were soft. "I want to talk to you about something…"

"Okay?" She instantly got nervous, and her mind started to race.

"Sit down with me." She did as he asked and sat down next to him. He turned to face her, still holding on to her hands. "You already know I like you… Well… I don't _like_ you… I'm _crazy _about you and I know it hasn't been that long yet, but being here with you like this… Like we've been… I love it and I want to… And I know you're going to think I'm super cheesy, but I want to call this official."

She smiled at him which caused him to smile back at her. "You want to call this 'official'?" she asked, teasingly.

He chuckled softly. "Yes I want to call this official." His nerves finally got the better of him and he looked down at her hands in his. "I want you to me mine… Only mine…"

"There's only one way that can happen…"

He looked up at her again. "How? I'll do anything."

"Anything?" she asked with a grin.

"Anything."

"You have to be mine… Only mine…"

"I was already yours… Only yours… Since the first day I met you," he answered as he leaned in and gently covered her lips with his. He released her hands and ran his hands up her back until one of his hands reached the back of her neck. He intertwined his fingers into her hair and gave it a soft tug.

"Mmmm…" she murmured.

"You like that?" he asked softly.

"Mmhmmm."

"Then you're really going to like this."

* * *

"Well well well. Check this out," Randy announced as he pointed at Trish and John walking through the door of the GIANT Center arena.

"What?" Phil asked, turning to see what Randy was talking about. "Hole-lee-shit!"

John shook his head at his friends. "Really guys?"

"Yes really. She's finally not ashamed of you. She let you hold her hand here, where everyone could see. I would say you're finally making some progress," Randy teased as his trademark cocky smile spread across his lips.

"Actually, we've made a lot of progress," John retorted.

"… That's not all you two have made a lot of," Randy added with a laugh. Phil couldn't contain himself anymore and burst out laughing. "But continue…" Randy added.

"We made it official."

"You made it official?" Phil asked. "Like, boyfriend and girlfriend official?"

"Yes we did," John answered with a proud smile.

"Aww that's so cute! What are you in junior high? Did you give her your class ring to wear too? You know, so everyone knows you're going steady?" Randy asked laughing.

"How much did you have to pay her to let you hold her hand and come in here and say that in front of us?" Phil joked.

Trish rolled her eyes and chuckled. "God damn. With friends like you two, ya don't need enemies! It's true."

John smiled and nodded his head. "Told you!"

Randy smiled. "That's great! I'm happy for you two." He walked over and gave Trish a hug. "Now that you're her boyfriend, you break her heart and I'll break your face… Just so we're clear," he threatened looking at John.

"I would never."

"Good," Randy answered, simply.

Just then one of the stage hands walked over. "Trish, this is for you."

She turned around and the stagehand handed her a brown stuffed teddy bear that was holding a heart which read, 'I Love You.' She immediately looked at John and could tell by the look on his face, the bear hadn't come from him.

"Nice touch, John," Phil said with a smile.

"It's not from me."

"What do you mean it's not from you?" Phil asked, confused.

"I mean it's not from me."

Randy and Phil passed a look between them.

"I don't know who it came from," Trish said, answering their silent question. "I'm going to go find Natalya, I'll see you in a little?"

"Yeah… See you in a little."

Trish stretched up on her tippy toes and gave John a peck on the lips. "See you guys later." She gave Randy and Phil a wave, and headed towards the woman's locker rooms.

"If it didn't…"

John cut Phil off. "I didn't send it to her." His jaw tightened the anger showing on his face. "Last night when we got to our room, there was a big vase full of roses sitting on the bedside table, and they weren't from me."

"Who were they from?" Randy asked.

"She said she didn't know."

"Wasn't there a card?" Phil questioned.

"Yeah, but there wasn't a name on it."

"Did it say anything at all?" Randy asked.

John's lips turned up into a scowl. "Yeah… It said, 'I saw these flowers and I instantly thought of you although they aren't quite as beautiful as you. Hope you like them, beautiful. Can't wait to  
see you again. XOXO –Me.'"

"And she doesn't know where they came from?" Randy asked.

"She said she didn't. I don't know if I should be pissed off or creeped out by it."

"You don't think she's…" Phil trailed off.

"Think she's?" John repeated.

"Seeing someone else?"

John hesitated. "I didn't really think of that… But no. I don't think so. I mean, we've been together… so…"

"Do you _know_ she's not with anyone else or are you just _hoping_ she isn't because you want to be with her that bad?" Phil asked? John shot Phil a death stare. "I'm just askin' man. I don't think she'd do that to you anyway."

"She wouldn't," Randy spoke up. "She's been hurt bad before. She knows what it feels like. She wouldn't do that to someone else. If she was seeing someone else, she wouldn't be with you like she's been. She's not that kind of girl."

"I don't even want to think about it anymore. She said she doesn't know, then she doesn't know. Let's just go get ready for our matches," John said.

The three men walked off towards their locker room to get ready for Smackdown. What they didn't notice was AJ standing behind one of the vending machines listening to their conversation. She snuck up on their conversation after Trish had gone to the locker room. "Perfect," she said as an evil smile spread across her lips. "Time for the next phase." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone.

_Are you ready for the next part of our plan? – A_  
_I'm ready. I did the first part of what you asked me to_  
_I know. Very good – A_  
_I don't think it worked_  
_You have to trust me for this to work – A_  
_I do. I'm just saying, I don't think it worked_  
_It will. It's just time for the next step in my plan – A_  
_Okay… So what's the next step?_  
_Patients my dear. All in due time - A_

She tucked her phone back into her pocket. "All in due time," she repeated out loud. "All in due time…"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thank you again to My Time Is Now and Therealchamps for the reviews. You guys are awesome! I appreciated them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

***Two weeks later***

"They just keep coming Randy! And she keeps saying she doesn't know who's sending them. I've thrown out a vase of roses a day for the last three weeks! I've thrown away 12 teddy bears, 4 chocolate boxes, and I've lost count of how many cards! It's driving me crazy!"

"Have you tried calling the flower shops? See if maybe they can give you some kind of information on where they're coming from?" Randy asked.

"I've called flower shop after flower shop and they all tell me the same thing. They can't really give me any information because there isn't any. They're all coming from internet orders. All the bill-to information is bogus, addresses are fake, phone numbers are fake, and they're paying with pre-loaded credit cards."

"Hmm… I see…"

John sat down on a chair in the locker room and let out an exasperated sigh. He put his hand on the back of his neck and rubbed his neck. "It's making us fight… She keeps telling me she doesn't know where they're coming from or who they're coming from, but I don't know. At first I was like okay, whatever. I can just let it roll off, but now… Now I can't. Every time something new shows up, I get more and more angry. Then I end up saying something snide to Trish and we end up in an argument. Now she's been getting late night calls from a blocked number. They never say anything. If she answers, they stay on the line but won't say anything. If I answer, they hang up right away. I don't know what to do man. I'm afraid if we keep fighting like this, she'll leave me."

AJ stood in the hallway of the arena, silently peering through the half open door, intently listening to John and Randy's conversation. An evil smile spread across her lips. "Perfect." She turned and skipped down the hallway towards the woman's locker room.

* * *

Trish was feeling beyond frustrated. She decided to wander the halls of the arena in an attempt to clear her head. _John and I are fighting so much… Ugh… I can't take it anymore… If I ever find out who's do_… Her thoughts were interrupted when she turned a corner and slammed right into someone. She fell backwards and landed on her ass with a thud.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't see you there," a voice said as a hand extended to help her up.

"No, it's okay. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention," she reached for the hand and let the man help her to her feet. When she finally looked at man, it was Brad Maddox. "Thanks Brad," she said with a small smile.

"Anytime." He smiled brightly at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"If you want to talk, I'm here," he offered with a smile.

She realized he was still holding on to her hand, and she pulled her hand out of his. "Uhh… Thanks. I'm just… gonna… John… I'm gonna go find John."

His bright smile deflated. "Oh okay."

"See ya around." She walked past Brad and went to continue on her way.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Brad called to her.

She stopped and turned around to face him again. "Yeah?"

He quickly stepped forward towards her, which startled her. She backed up against the wall and he took another step closer to her. "Would you be interested in going to get some drinks with me some time?"

Trish hesitated. She tried to back up to regain some space between them, but she was trapped against the wall. She felt uncomfortable with him being that close to her. "Umm… Sure… Uhh… We can all go out. I'll ask John when he wants to go out and we can a big group of us together."

"Right... John... Uhh… Sure… Let me know," he answered, taking a step back.

"Okay…"

She turned and continued on her way. _Okay THAT was totally weird_, she thought to herself as she walked away. After a few minutes of walking, she walked by catering and saw John standing around talking to Randy, Sheamus, and Phil. She walked up behind John and wrapped her arms around his waist. He jumped in surprise at first, but smiled a few seconds later. "Hey baby." He knew it was her by the scent of her perfume. He knew that scent anywhere.

She smiled as she slid around to the front of John. She placed her head on his chest and gave him a squeeze.

"You okay?" She nodded her head yes. He wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. He slid one hand down her back until it came to a rest on her lower back. "I missed this."

"Missed what?"

"This. It's the first time you've hugged me, or anything else for that matter, in about a week," John answered, looking down at her.

She tilted her head up to look at him. "I'm sorry… It's just… We've been fighting so much lately… and…" she hesitated. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I have and idea," she answered with a smile.

"Okay? What's your idea?" he asked curiously.

"How about I call the hotel and request our room be moved for tonight, so whatever is waiting in the room will stay there and we won't have to see it. Then we go back to our new room, I turn off my phone, you turn off your phone, and I make it up to you?" she said, trying to look as innocent as possible. She stretched up and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Ugh… Gag me! Get a room you two," Randy scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Sheamus stuck his finger down his throat and made a gagging noise.

"Shut it Orton."

"Yeah, shut it Orton," John agreed.

Sheamus chuckled. "I guess they told you, Orton."

"You can shut it too Sheamus," she added with a laugh.

"Oh darn! I thought I was gonna get away with it this time!" snapping his fingers at her sarcastically.

Randy scoffed. "Ha! Yeah right! Trish let something slide? Never that. Shit you got a better chance of seeing god!"

"But I learned it from you," she retorted with the most angelic face she could muster.

Randy shook his head and half smiled. "Shit I almost feel bad for him. I know what it's like to deal with you as a friend, but him... He can't get away from ya! I on the other hand can at least go to my room and get away from ya! Him? He's stuck with your ass."

"Oh stop it! You know you love me!"

"Like the sister I never wanted," he answered with his trademark cocky grin.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "So... What do you say, my sexy man?"

"I say... Is Smackdown over yet because I can't wait to get you back to our room!" he answered, giving her a swat on the ass.

AJ stood in the doorway behind them watching them. She was seething. _No no no no no! This is not supposed to be happening! They're supposed to fight… argue... he's supposed to hate her! That's it! It's time to move my plan along, _she thought. She spun on her heel and disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

John sat in his locker room alone. He was mentally preparing for his match. Trish had gone down to the ring for her match a little while ago. She was in a diva's tag team match with Natalya against Tamina and Aksana. He bent down and pulled on his sneakers, then tied the laces. He reached over into his bag and pulled out his wristbands. He began to pull them on when he heard the locker room door open. His nose was filled with the pleasant scent of Trish's perfume and he smiled. "That was a quick match, babe."

He didn't get an answer, but two hands covered his eyes instead. He reached up and touched the hands covering his eyes and instantly knew they weren't Trish's. He quickly stood up and turned around and he saw AJ standing there. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

"That's no way to greet me baby," she said, batting her eyes at him.

"I'm not you're baby and don't call me that. What do you want?"

"A few seconds ago I was your baby."

"You're wearing the same perfume Trish wears, AJ. When you walked in, all I smelled was Trish's perfume and I thought it was my girl but unfortunately it was you," he answered with a sharp tone to his voice.

"She's not the only woman... and I do use that term loosely when I refer to her… That wears that perfume baby. I knew you liked it, so I bought it. I'm wearing it for you."

"She's more of a woman then you'll ever be," he snapped. AJ winced at his words. "Cut the shit, what do you want?"

"What do I want? You know what I want baby... I want you."

"You're wasting your time AJ," he answered flatly.

The coldness of his voice cut right through her. Her mind began to race; she knew she was loosing him. Without warning she lunged at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his. He jerked his head back from her, trying to get away. "AJ stop! What the fuck are you doing?" he shouted.

"Just kiss me John. Please kiss me. I want you to kiss me so bad. I want to feel you lips on mine, your tongue tasting me, and your hands on my body. Please. I know if you just kiss me you'll feel for me what I do for you! We're meant to be John, I know it!" she begged, breathlessly.

"No! Get the fuck off me now!" He reached around his neck and pried her hands apart. AJ tried desperately to keep her grip on him, but he was much too strong. After pulling her arms off from around his neck he gave her a push back. She stumbled slightly and looked up at him with wide eyes. "I don't feel… anything… for you AJ. I'm with Trish, and you know it. My feelings are for Trish, and they have been for a long time. No amount of kisses, or anything else from you could change the way I feel." He bent down and picked up the last wristband that he had dropped in the scuffle with AJ. He shook his head in disgust at her, and walked out the locker room door.

AJ sank to her knees and broke out in a hysterical sob. "No! This isn't how it was supposed to go!" she shrieked as she rocked back and forth on her knees. "He loves me, damn it! Not that whore! Me! Me! Me!" She got up off her knees and picked up the folding metal chair next to her and threw it across the locker room. She ran over to the trashcan and kicked it, sending it toppling to the ground and spilling its contents all over the locker room floor. AJ sucked in a deep breath, and then exhaled it slowly, trying to calm her fury. A dark look came across her face. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tightened. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The phone began to ring and she waited for the other person to answer.

_Hello?_

"It's me. Do you have that package ready I asked you for?"

_It's ready._

"Did you mail it out?"

_Overnighted just like you instructed AJ._

"Good." She hit the end button and disconnected the call.


	19. Chapter 19

******A/N: Thank you again to My Time Is Now and Therealchamps for the reviews. You guys are awesome! I appreciated them so much! Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated as always! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

The alarm went off at 6am. Trish was visiting a school with Natalya and Brodus Clay as a part of the _Be A Star_ program. John wrapped his arms tightly around Trish and pulled her close to him. "I want you to stay here with me," he whined. "I want some more of last night." He grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows at her.

She chuckled at him. "I'd like to stay here with you, but I have to go to this."

"I know," he answered with a pout.

He released his grip on her and she got out of bed. She showered, got dressed and did her hair and makeup.

"Before you go, there's something I want to talk to you about."

The events with AJ from last night weighed heavily on his mind. Part of him wanted to tell her, but the other part was nervous to do so. But he felt like he was keeping secrets from her by not telling her, so he decided it would be better to tell her.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Come over here with that sexy ass of yours and sit down with me," he said as he patted the bed next to him. She walked over and sat down with him and waited for him to tell her. "Last night… while you were wrestling… AJ…" he trailed off.

"AJ what?" she asked wearily.

"AJ showed up in my locker room. She was wearing the same perfume as you, so I thought it was you at first, so I didn't bother to turn around. After I realized it was her, she started spouting off some bullshit about how we needed to be together, how she wanted me to kiss her, and then out of nowhere she kissed me. I pushed her off of me. I swear I didn't kiss her back."

Trish silently took in everything he just said. John started to worry about her silence. "I know you didn't. I trust you John." It instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. He gave her his knee weakening smile she loved so much. "But since we're on the topic of having something to tell each other, I have something to tell you as well."

A cross between shock and confusion filled his face. "Okay?"

"Last night, I had a lot on my mind and I decided to walk around the arena and try to clear my head. And well… I ran into Brad… And he… I dunno…"

"He what?" John pressed.

"He… Well I ran into him coming around a corner and I fell on my ass. He helped me up… And then… It just got creepy from there. He held on to my hand for an extra long time… Like I had to pry my hand out of his and he was just super close to me. Then when I went to leave and he stopped me and asked if I would go get drinks with him…"

John's jaw tightened with anger. "He asked you to get drinks with him?"

She smiled. "Did you just get jealous?"

"Jealous? No. Irritated? Yes."

"Hmm... I could have sworn that sounded just a little like jealousy." She joked with a smile.

"Most men don't appreciate other men asking their girlfriend out for drinks… I just happen to be on of those men."

"Relax babe," she said with a chuckle. "I told him that I'd ask you when you wanted to go out and we'd get a big group of people so we could all go out."

His jaw relaxed and his lips twisted into a smile. "Ouch. He asked you to go have drinks with him and you answered him with I'll ask my boyfriend when he wants to go."

She shook her head at him then leaned in to give him a kiss before she left. "I have to get going handsome."

He took her by surprise and pulled her backwards onto the bed with him. He rolled on top of her, pining her under his weight. He kissed her passionately as he massaged her breasts through her shirt and bra. She moaned softly at the touch of his hands.

"I… Haveta…Haveta…" she sputtered.

"Haveta what baby?" he breathed into her ear.

She wiggled free of him and stood up. She straightened herself out. "I have to go."

"Bet you really don't want to now," he said with a mischievous grin.

She grinned back at him. "And you would be right. There are _other_ things I'd like to do right now, but they'll have to wait until I come back." She turned and headed towards the door. She pulled it open. "See you later babe," she called to him.

"Hurry back to me."

* * *

AJ stood at the end of the hallway, peering around the corner. She watched Trish leave the room and get on to the elevator. "Perfect," she smiled to herself. She waited for a few seconds to make sure Trish didn't come back to the room. When AJ was sure Trish wasn't coming back, she walked halfway down the hall until she came to the room Trish walked out of. She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out. She took a deep breath in, and then exhaled, trying to steady her nerves. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. A few seconds later, the door popped open and John stood there wearing nothing but a big smile and a towel. His eyes met hers and his smile disappeared.

"Get out of here AJ," he snapped, pushing the door closed.

AJ stuck her foot out, so he couldn't close the door. "Wait! I have something to tell you."

"I don't want to hear it AJ. Move your foot," he snapped.

"It's about Trish. Just listen to what I have to say, and then I'll go."

John hesitated for a minute. "Let me get dressed." He closed the door, disappearing into the room. A few seconds later, he reemerged dressed.

"Well, can I come in?" AJ asked with the most angelic look she could muster.

"No. What do you have to say? Make it quick..."

AJ's lips twisted into a frown. "Well... I saw something... And..."

"Saw what?"

"I think Trish is cheating on you," she blurted out.

John shook his head and sighed. "You're wasting your time. I don't believe you." He took a step back and reached for the door.

AJ quickly stepped into the doorway so he couldn't close the door. "I have proof!"

"Proof?" AJ offered John the manilla envelope in her hands. "What's this?" he asked, confused.

"Just open it."

He opened the flap of the envelope and reached his hand inside. He pulled out a stack of pictures. He slowly looked at them, one by one skeptically. AJ stood in silence trying to read the reaction on John's face but he didn't say anything.

"I'm really sorry John, but I thought you had the right to know."

He still didn't say anything. He just nodded his head.

She reached up and put her hand on his face. "If you want to talk, I'm here. Anytime. You know where to find me," she offered with a small smile. She turned and walked away. After turning the corner, she broke out into an ear to ear smile. "Let's see her get out of this one."

* * *

Trish couldn't wait to get back to John. All she could think about was the events that took place right before she left. All she wanted to do was get back to him and pick up where they had left off. She stood in the elevator, impatiently waiting for it to reach her destination. As she stood alone in the elevator, she was mentally repeating the events from the morning over and over. She could feel the heat of her arousal coming from between her legs. The elevator finally stopped, and the doors swung open. She stepped out and nearly ran to their room. She stuck her key card into the door and waited for the red light to turn green. As soon as it did, she pushed the door open. She walked in and immediately kicked her high heals off.

"I'm back!" she called out to John. There was no answer. She walked further into the room and saw John sitting on the bed, watching TV. She walked over to him and sat down next to him on the bed. "Hey," she greeted him with a smile.

"Hi," he answered, curtly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.

"What's wrong?" he repeated. "This is what's wrong." He tossed the manila envelope at her and stood up. He walked over to the sliding doors of the balcony and slid the door open with a thud. He walked out onto the balcony and leaned on the wall, looking out into the distance.

Trish picked up the envelope and pulled out the pictures. She slowly flipped through the first two pictures. She instantly felt the anger rise inside. She stood up and walked out on to the balcony with John. "I told you about this. I told you I literally ran into Brad and he helped me up..."

"What about this?" John snapped, cutting her off. He grabbed he pictures out of her hands and flipped two more pictures down then handed it back to her. "You didn't tell me about kissing him!"

Trish looked down at the pictures in her hand. Her mouth hung open in shock. She blinked hard at the picture in her hands. "But John..." she called after him. It was no use. She watched as he walked back into the room. He hesitated for a minute; he ran his hands through his short hair and let out a loud sigh. He continued on his way through the room until he got to the door. He pulled it open and walked out, pulling the door shut with a loud bang.


	20. Chapter 20

******A/N: Thank you again to Therealchamps, Mytimeisnow, and MySweetSeduction for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I apprecitate them so much! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

The relationship between Trish and John was now more strained than ever. They were to the point that they weren't even arguing anymore, John just wasn't really even speaking to her anymore. They were still traveling together, rooming together, but that was about it. Trish tried to explain to John that there was no kiss between her and Brad but John didn't want to hear it. In his mind, he saw it plain as day in that picture AJ had given him and there was no way around it. Trish had quickly grown tired of the silence and tension between her and John, so she decided she was going to settle this once and for all.

The car ride from the hotel to the arena was silent, as usual. They climbed out of the car, went to the trunk, pulled their bags out, and headed for the entrance. Once they got inside, Trish looked over at John.

"See you in a little while?" she asked softly.

He didn't say anything, he just nodded his head.

Trish could feel the anger begin to build. "Can I ask you something?"

He stopped and turned back around to face her, still not saying a word.

"Where did those pictures come from?"

He was silent for a minute. "AJ," he answered simply, then turned and headed towards the men's locker room.

Trish stood there for a second, watching him disappear down the hallway. The anger now cursed through Trish's body. _AJ_, she thought. _Of course it was fuckin AJ. I'm so sick of her meddling in my life! You know what… I've got an idea of my own… _She turned and headed to the woman's locker room. She pushed open the door with a loud bang as it bounced off the concrete wall. Natalya and Kaitlyn jumped in surprise.

"Well damn, hello to you too," Kaitlyn said, with her hand over her heart. "Way to give us heart failure."

Trish didn't say a word. She walked in angrily, throwing her bag. She hastily pulled the zipper of her bag and pulled out the manila envelope. She sat down for a minute, but quickly got back up and headed towards the door. She yanked it open, and walked out, letting it slam close behind her.

"What the hell was that all about?" Kaitlyn asked Natalya.

"I have no idea."

"Should we follow her?"

"Umm… With the mood she's in, I don't think it'd be a good idea. I think we should just let her cool down a little, then talk to her," Natalya answered with a frown.

* * *

Trish walked up and down the hallways, peeking into every room she could, but she was coming up empty. She was growing more and more irritated. She blindly turned a corner and ran into Cody.

"Oh… Oppss… Sorry about that. Didn't see ya there, Trish."

She nodded. "It's cool."

"Umm, are you okay?" he asked. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"You know what Cody? Yeah you can."

"Sure, what's up?"

"I'm looking for Brad, have you seen him?"

"Why in the hell are you looking for Brad?" Cody asked confused.

"I need him for something."

"Umm… Okay… Uhh… He's over in catering the last time I saw him," he answered still confused.

"Thanks Cody! You're the best!" Trish sprinted past Cody towards catering.

Cody stood there, still confused, watching her sprint off down the hallway.

As she got up to catering, Brad was just walking out. "Hey Brad!" she called out to him.

Brad stopped and turned around. "Oh hey gorgeous!" he answered with a bright smile.

She mentally cringed at his words. "I need you to come with me," she ordered, taking him by the hand and leading him down the hallway.

"Oh okay," he answered, surprised.

He followed her down the hallway, but quickly became suspicious of where she was taking him. "So where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there." She stopped out front of John's locker room and turned back around to Brad.

"Uhh… What are we doing here?" Brad asked nervously.

"We're going to talk."

"Umm… I don't think talking right outside John's locker room is such a good idea. Maybe we should take our conversation elsewhere?" he asked as he nervously shifted his weight from on leg to the other.

"You're right, we're should take this conversation somewhere else," she grabbed him by the hand and yanked him into John's locker room.

John's attention snapped up from tying his shoes to the commotion at the door. John's jaw tightened in anger as soon as he saw Brad. His eyes wandered down Trish's arm to her hand that was holding Brad's. His hands immediately balled up into fists. "What the fuck is going on?"

"We're gonna talk," Trish answered.

"Well… Uhhh… I'm… I'm gonna go. I… Uhhh… I don't… Don't think I should be here for this conversation," Brad stuttered out.

"Oh you're not going anywhere," Trish answered, blocking his path to the door. "Sit," she commanded.

Brad sat down in a folding chair across from John like he was told. Brad began to fidget with his hands as he looked at John. John's features were hard, his icy blue eyes felt like they were burning holes in Brad's body. Brad had never seen John look this angry and hull of hate before. John was usually friendly and wore a smile on his face. Brad definitely didn't like this side of John and he liked it even less that he was on the other end. If looks could kill, Brad was sure he'd be dead… multiple times over.

Trish walked over to Brad and handed him the manila envelope. "Know anything about this?"

Brad slowly looked at the envelope, then back up at John. John looked like he was perched to attack at any second. Brad opened the envelope and removed the pictures inside. He slowly flipped through the first two pictures. "Uhh… Yeah… This happened last Monday. You walked into me in the hallway…"

"And you kissed my girl," John snapped.

"What?" Brad asked confused.

"Oh you forget that part? Flip to the next picture," John commanded.

Brad did as he was told and flipped to the next picture. He examined the picture closely. "As much as I would have liked that to be a kiss, that wasn't. It just appears to look that way from the angle it was taken. Sadly, I wasn't able to kiss those sweet sweet lips of Trish's."

John flinched at Brad, causing Brad to jump back falling out of his chair. Trish quickly walked over to John's side and put her hand on John's shoulder.

"I told you nothing happened," Trish said softly, looking down at John.

"Wait a minute… I'm confused," Brad interrupted. Trish and John turned their attention back to Brad. "AJ told me you liked _me_. She was helping me try to win you over. She told me you weren't really into John, that you were just dating him because you felt sorry for him, and you really wanted to be with me."

"She what?" John and Trish asked in unison.

"Yeah. She told me you weren't into John and that you were into me. She told me how much you loved roses, teddy bears, and chocolate. That's why I sent that stuff to you."

"So what you're telling me is you pursued _my_ girl because AJ told you she liked you? You sent her all those flowers and all that other shit knowing full well she _had_ a boyfriend… Knowing full well _I'm_ her boyfriend?" John questioned as the anger continued to build with each question he asked.

Trish placed her small hand on his arm and began rubbing his muscular arm in an attempt to soothe him. "Brad, I'm sorry but AJ lied to you. I'm with John… I'm into John and I'm happy… We're happy. Well we were until all this started…" Trish trailed off.

John snaked his arm around her waist and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "We are still happy."

She looked down at him and smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Well… Don't I feel like an idiot," Brad said as he stood up. He turned and headed towards the door. "But hey, if you ever change your mind… I'm definitely interested… And I won't tell," he added with a smirk.

John quickly got to his feet to go after Brad, but Trish stepped in front of him. She put her hands up on his bare chest to stop him from going after Brad who had quickly thought better of the situation and bolted out of the locker room. John stopped so he didn't hurt Trish and looked down at her.

He covered her hands with his, "I think I owe you an apology." Trish reached up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He smiled against her kiss. "I love it when you tell me to shut up."

She giggled at him. "No apology needed, but I do think we need to both make an agreement we don't take what someone, like AJ for example, says without talking to each other first. We need to talk to each other before we let our emotions get the better of us when it comes to things like this. We also need to trust each other. I mean, what's a relationship without trust?"

John nodded in agreement. "You're right. I've done nothing but beg you for just one chance, and you finally gave me a chance. I don't want to let other people ruin it… Ruin us."

She smiled. "Neither do I."

"So what do you say we go straight from here back to our hotel room and you let me make it up to you for me being such a jerk?" he asked with a big grin.

"I don't know…"

With that he pulled her close to his body. He dipped his head down and placed a line of soft, wet, kisses up her jawbone until he got to her favorite spot on her neck right behind her ear. He placed a soft kiss on her neck, and he felt her shudder at the touch of his lips. He pulled her tighter to his body so she could feel what just being close to him did to him. He then gently nipped at her favorite spot on her neck. A soft moan escaped her lips. He then sucked on her neck, using his tongue to flick at the sensitive spot. She dug her fingertips into his shoulder-blade, clinging on to him for support.

"So what do you say?" he whispered seductively into her ear.

"Mmmhmm," was all she could get out.

He chuckled softly. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I."

"Okay hun, I unfortunately have to go and get ready for my match tonight."

"Okay," he answered with a pout. She turned and headed towards the door. "Hey babe?" he called out.

"Yeah?" she answered as she turned to face him.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me we'll always have this passion, even after you're my wife?"

"Your wife?" she asked, trying to hide the shock on her face.

"Yeah… Even after I make you my wife," he answered with a grin.

"Promise," she answered, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Good."

She walked out of John's locker room and headed towards the woman's locker rooms. She still had a smile from ear-to-ear, she wasn't even sure she could wipe it off, even if she had to. She felt as if she was floating on air. John's words kept repeating over and over in her head. _Even after I make you my wife… After I make you my wife… Hmmm… Mrs. Cena? I think I like the sound of that. I guess I have some big news to tell the girls. _


End file.
